30 Hugs
by Blossomwitch
Summary: A bunch of ficlets written for a challenge elsewhere and collected here as I write them. All will be HieiKurama, though I don't imagine the ratings will get very high, and all of course will involve a hug of some sort. Complete.
1. Introduction

Explanation and Introduction

I don't really remember whose fault it is. I know it's someone's, because someone introduced me to the concept of those fic challenge groups on livejournal, and I went rabid. After meandering happily through all the prompts and being absolutely _swamped_ with plot bunnies, I settled on a group called 30hugs; naturally, there are thirty ficlets to be written, each involving a hug, and naturally the couple I selected to write them for is Kurama and Hiei.

Some of these will be fluffier than I've been writing lately, for how can you not get fluffy when the theme is hugging? I shall try not to make them all fluff-fests, though. I find this the perfect distraction from updating stubborn long-shots, and to those of you who are waiting on updates on them I do apologize, but you should blame... eh... whoever it was that started me on this...


	2. Ficlet 1: Flash

_Ficlet #1: Flash  
Prompt: #3 (snap snap!; photograph)  
Credit is due to Reihime both for the title and for real-time betaing as I wrote this._

Botan clicked the camera, and light shot through the semi-dark room. Everyone's eyes were dazzled for a moment, and then when they cleared...

No one spoke for a moment; no one was sure if it was safe to. Kurama looked just as surprised as everyone else, but to his credit he did not drop Hiei, who had jumped into his arms with all his legendary speed and was now clinging to his neck, looking frightened out of his wits. Then, "It's called a camera, Hiei," Kurama explained gently. "The light reaches out and takes your picture... like a portrait, only instead of someone painting it the light copies your image."

"...Oh." Warily, as if waiting for the return of the startling light, Hiei brought his feet back down to the floor, then untangled his arms from around Kurama's neck.

On cue, and together, Yusuke and Kuwabara began to snicker. "Dude...you jumped into his arms like a _girl_..."

Hiei snarled and reached for his katana, but Kurama stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Your dignity's already lost for the evening; killing our friends won't help," he advised him, passing him another drink.

"Hmph... it would make _me_ feel better..."

"Just drink your drink, Hiei."

"I don't like this human alcohol thing, fox. It makes me act weird."

"It's supposed to." Kurama smiled a sly smile and placed his arm over Hiei's shoulders. "And I don't mind at all."

"Hmph." Hiei put his katana away, and everyone in the room sighed and relaxed, grateful that Kurama had averted yet another Hiei Crisis. The evening progressed without incident. But the next day, when Botan went to develop the film, she discovered that the camera's interior had somehow, mysteriously, been melted into an unrecognizable blob.


	3. Ficlet 2: Happily Ever After

Ficlet #2: Happily Ever After  
Prompt#8: Fairy Tales  
A/N: This is what first came to mind, so I went with it. I retract my earlier statement about most of these being fluffy.

Kurama's mind wandered even as his eyes tracked the words across the yellowing page and his voice spoke them smoothly, soothingly, creating a gentle river of sound. He'd heard the words before, and spoken them as well, and didn't need to think in order to give the proper pace and inflection to them. It was this book, in fact, that he had read from when Shiori had lain so ill in the hospital that she could not converse with him.

Kurama lifted his eyes to the person he was reading to now, his voice trailing off in the middle of the story about the bamboo princess. Hiei lay as still as death, the slightest possible rise and fall of his chest and a faint trace of pink to his lips the only testament that he indeed lived. He had lain that way for nearly a month now. Everyone they knew who had the least skill in healing had tried to pull him from his hibernation, but he would not budge. Seeing this, and seeing the drain it was putting on everyone, Kurama had taken Hiei off on Genkai's hands and removed him to his own home, still hopeful that his friend would come back to him. He couldn't help still trying to heal him, but as the weeks went by both Kurama's energy and optimism had dwindled.

"You'd think I'm being silly," he addressed the still form. "But this is what a human will do for a sick friend, when they can't do anything else. It's supposed to be soothing. And it's supposed to help them sometimes, to hear a friend's voice. Help them to come back." Kurama studied Hiei for a moment. "I hope you call me an idiot for this someday."

He went back to his reading, finishing with the bamboo princess and going on to the story about the dragon's jewel. It was not only the book he had read to Shiori in the hospital, but the book of fairy tales she had read to him when his human body had been younger. He had always listened mutely and without caring, bored with the simplistic stories.

But in fairy tales, everything ended happily ever after.

Kurama set the book aside for the night, and crawled into bed. He curled up behind Hiei and wrapped one arm around his waist, wanting to be near if anything happened. Exhausted with worry, Kurama was asleep long before he could feel the faint, but real, answering squeeze of Hiei's hand in his.


	4. Ficlet 3: Angels

Ficlet #3: Angels  
Prompt #21: Sois un ange (be an angel)  
A/N: The fluff statement is officially and permanently retracted. Enjoy the semi-angst. Oh, and you may miss the hug if you blink, but it's there.

Be an angel, the humans would say to one another, when they wanted something. Just be an angel and hand that to me; you be an angel while I'm gone. They meant it in a good way; they meant be nice and kind and gentle, be a darling, a doll. They were idiots. But then, that was generally true of humanity.

Hiei had done a little study on the subject of angels, because Kurama had this ridiculous theory that mythological creatures were actually cultural memories of demons and had conned Hiei into helping him research it. Hiei knew that angels, in their true form, could bring down the fury of heaven upon you or destroy your soul with a glance. Angels could be for evil as well as for good, and whether you chose to fear them or to worship them it was best to do so from afar. Angels were so beautiful and so terrible that the first thing they had to say when they met a mortal was, _Be not afraid._

Hiei understood all this, and so when he called Kurama an angel he expected Kurama to understand as well. But Kurama heard with his human ears, heard him like the humans who said _you're my angel, you're my sweetheart_, and while he thanked Hiei he looked bewildered. Hiei didn't try to explain, and he didn't bring it up again.

One night as they walked through the park they ran into girls who knew Shuichi from school. Kurama drew close to Hiei as they approached, placing an arm around his shoulders. Hiei smirked and put his arm around Kurama's waist; he knew what the fox wanted, and he wasn't adverse to playing games with the human simpletons. So by the time the girls had hailed them and come closer Hiei's hand was in Kurama's rear pocket, and Kurama was very obviously playing with the hair on the nape of Hiei's neck. They spoke briefly while Kurama made a show of smiling and snuggling close to Hiei, nuzzling his hair and neck, and Hiei made a show of possessiveness, hugging Kurama close to him and glaring at the girls as he received the attention. They didn't stay long.

Later that same night, Hiei pushed Kurama against a tree and kissed him. Kurama was surprised, but he kissed him back. The kiss lasted only a few moments, and then they looked at each other. "Hiei, this doesn't work."

"I know."

"We tried dating. We wind up wanting to kill each other. I mean, I care about--I really do, but it doesn't work."

"I _know_, fox. We're just too different from each other and we want different things, but just shut up and kiss me for a minute."

So Kurama shut up and kissed him. Hiei didn't let it last for very long, because he really didn't want to date Kurama. Not so much as he wanted to own him, or devour him, or spend every second next to him, or possibly destroy him for being so damned beautiful. Those were the feelings that angels inspired.

But none of those things were his to do. All he was able to do was kiss Kurama now, in the park at a quarter to midnight, for less that two minutes because that was all they could afford. And when he felt himself getting too close Hiei pulled back and gave a crooked smile, and flitted away.

He watched Kurama compose himself, and walk back to his home. He knew that Kurama knew he was watching, but neither of them acknowledged the other. Angels don't have to acknowledge you, after all. Angels only have to exist, in all their splendor, all their seductive purity. And if you fall, you have only yourself to blame.


	5. Ficlet 4: Sharing the Warmth

Ficlet #4: Sharing the Warmth  
Prompt #11: Ice  
_A/N: The title for this piece was borrowed from a lovely piece of fanart; see my profile for the link_.

The wind whipped past him, so cold that the touch of it was like knives. Hiei imagined a thousand knives were piercing through his skin, one tiny blade to each square centimeter. The death of a thousand cuts. A death without honor.

Why had he come here?

He had assumed after finding it the first time, and leaving it intact, that he would never return to the floating island. There was, after all, nothing for him here. Yukina was elsewhere and his past was his past, not something to be revisited. This was not a place for fire demons.

And yet, ironically, it was the very fact that he was a fire demon that allowed him to survive. A normal apparition or, god forbid, a human would succumb to the cold within minutes of arriving here. But Hiei was able to keep warm.

Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly. _Keep warm, indeed._ More irony. The last thing he was capable of was warmth. And that was why he had come back. To face the cold: to feel this, the wind wrapping icy arms around him and holding him fast. To let the cold invade him, embrace him, consume him. He would be alone, and he would meet his fate, whatever it was to be. Damn the consequences.

And then, staring into the whirling snow, he felt a familiar warmth approach him.

Hiei whirled around. "You fool! You'll freeze to death!"

"No, I won't," Kurama replied calmly. He was hugging himself tightly as he made his way through the snow, and his voice sounded as though his teeth were chattering. "You'll take me back before that happens."

"... I should throw you over the cliff!"

"That would be rather melodramatic of you," Kurama observed. He made it through the last few feet of snow and stood shivering before Hiei; there was silence for a moment. "Hiei, I'd recommend that you do whatever you came here to do soon. We don't have very long. Or at least, I don't."

"Then _you_ shouldn't have come, fox."

"But I _did_ come. So can we please finish here and get to somewhere where my lungs don't feel like they're crystallizing every time I breathe in?"

"I didn't come to do anything."

"Interesting. Doesn't seem like a vacation spot to me." Kurama sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around himself. "Either way, don't mind me, I'll just stand here while you finish up. You'd better finish soon, though, because I'm losing feeling in my feet. I'll have frostbite in a few minutes," he noted. "Or hypothermia, maybe. I'm not really sure."

Hiei would have liked to have said a great many abusive things back to that, but at that moment Kurama tried to take a step forward and stumbled, then gracefully pitched forward. Hiei caught him before he could hit the ground, holding the suddenly unconscious fox close to himself, warming the body that was shutting itself down in protest of the frigid cold.

When Kurama woke several hours later, he found himself in a cave somewhere, near a blazing fire. "Damn you," Hiei addressed him, the second he saw he was awake. "You forced me to leave."

"I did no such thing, Hiei, I merely followed you. You could have let me freeze."

"But you deliberately put me into a position where I had to choose between leaving or watching you die."

"Well, I'll admit to that one."

"Why?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't let me freeze," Kurama said, sitting up. "I wanted you to know."

"You wanted me to know that I wouldn't let you freeze, or that you knew I wouldn't?"

"Either, or both."

Neither spoke for a moment. Then Kurama wiped sweat from his forehead and said tentatively, "Hiei? I appreciate you saving me, but now it's too hot in here."

"I really don't care, fox. You made me leave; you can put up with it being the temperature I like it."

"Fair enough."

_A/N2: For anyone curious, the death of a thousand cuts that Hiei refers to is actually an ancient Chinese method of execution. Cuts scarcely larger than papercuts are administered to the victim's body one at a time by a skilled torturer until the victim bleeds to death, which is why Hiei calls it a death without honor_.


	6. Ficlet 5: Fragility

Ficlet #5: Fragility  
Prompt #14: Somei Yoshino; a type of sakura (cherry blossom)  
A/N: Heads up! The rating gets a teensy bit higher in this one than in the previous ficlets. Sex is mentioned.

Hiei couldn't believe the absolute fragility of human beings. Before, when it had been a matter of "us" and "them," he had laughed about it. Gleefully, even. He had been aware and amused by his enemies' weakness, and hadn't thought on it much further than that.

And then he met Kurama.

Kurama, demon-human, Kurama who was an anomaly in so, so, so many ways. On the surface, Kurama was as frail as a tree with the somei yoshino coming out; tall and thin, all soft white skin and vulnerability, and with the shock of red hair like the cherries that come after the blossoms. He was prey; his physical appearance clearly defined it.

So naturally he was attacked. And when that happened out came the thorns, out came the bristling fur and the fox's teeth. So many people, so very many people, never got past that second layer.

Hiei had, though. Hiei had fought alongside Kurama and held him after the battle. The spirit was demon but the body was human, and when it bled it bled as red as his hair, and his skin turned whiter than sakura petals because the petals still had a hint of healthy, living pink in their centers where Kurama's skin was sheet white, ghost white, drained of blood. It was after that battle that Hiei realized, to his utter dismay, that he actually cared about the fox. He cared about the creature he was holding against his chest, trying to keep him warm and conscious and alive and wishing to hell he knew more about what made humans live and die.

Of course he was useless. But Kurama said later that, as he had been quietly and systematically using his own demon energy to heal himself, it had been nice to be held.

After that, Hiei started to learn more about human health. He learned how they fought some of their myriad diseases with poisons, how they took dozens of little pills to regulate their bodies, how they needed to feed and sleep at ridiculously short intervals and how they went through ritual upon ritual to protect and extend their miserably short lifespan. He was both fascinated and appalled. A demon body did not require this kind of maintenance; a demon body could go for days without eating or sleeping, could run without vitamins or minerals, could maintain its own teeth and hair and skin without excessive grooming.

Some nights Hiei would perch in the windowsill, laughing, as Kurama went through all those nightly rituals designed to keep the human body in good condition. Sometimes he was impatient. Brush the teeth, floss the teeth, scrub the face, wash the hair, dry it, brush out the tangles. Hiei would have killed himself rather than deal with all that.

Kurama was patient with it, though; and if Hiei was patient too and waited for his lover Kurama would let Hiei perform the last step of the nightly rituals. If Kurama felt Hiei had been good he wouldn't resist when Hiei took the bottle of moisturizing lotion out of his hands and set about tending the dry skin that Hiei could bless Shiori for giving her son. Because when he spread the lotion over Kurama's skin, white and blushing pink from his touch, Hiei was grateful for human frailty, and the upkeep a human body required. Even when he took his time and savored every stroke, every caress, this part always and invariably lead to more interesting activities.

Hiei was lost in the enigma of Kurama , constantly revising his opinion. Anyone who could take the thrusts that Hiei gave and cry out in pleasure, not pain, could not be called weak; and anyone who could stand and walk over to the window to close it afterwards, calmly remarking on the chill, as if nothing had happened was more complex and less fragile than met the eye. But when he slept he looked like prey again; when those large eyes were closed, framed by feather soft delicate lashes, when his body was limp and his skin soft, his neck so thin and so exposed and so breakable, how could Hiei not call him frail?

And if he chose to strike, at any moment, would Kurama be able to rebuff him? Would he prove as vulnerable as he looked or would there be more strength hidden inside more deception? Was Kurama strength wrapped in weakness or weakness wrapped in strength, steel cover by velvet or a rose that had grown thorns?

Hiei realized he would never know. The only way to know was to strike, to fight to the end, and he wouldn't do that. He would rather lie here on the bed, his arms curled around his captured prey and stroke the skin that was soft as white as petals, knowing the power it concealed.


	7. Ficlet 6: Silhouette

Fic #6: Silhouette  
Prompt #29: Silhouette

There were tents set up all over the reception area. The actual ceremony would be held under a bower with roses growing through it, of course; but there were tents to cover the food, tents for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to change clothes in, tents for the bride and groom to each have a moment alone before starting the rest of their lives.

Hiei--the only person there dressed in black, not some pale spring and wedding appropriate color--stood behind one of those tents, unnoticed and unnoticing, tracing the silhouette that was painted against the canvas wall.

He had told Kurama he would not be here today.

He knew the detective and the oaf were waiting on the other side of the tent, fussing with their ties, and that his sister and the other girls were here somewhere, part of the wedding. Kurama had not asked Hiei to be in the wedding party. He must have known what a bad idea it would have been on so many, many different levels--but he _had_ asked for Hiei to come. Hiei had refused adamantly. He had then taken the opportunity to tell Kurama what he thought about the wedding.

A sham, a facade, another mask in the masquerade. Hiei had used all those words. Their other friends were dancing around the topic, avoiding saying what they felt, but Hiei had no patience for that. He had watched over the past year as Kurama systematically gathered information as to what qualities Shiori would prefer in a daughter-in-law, then went out a wooed a woman who fit the criteria. Hiei remembered his own sneering voice outlining what Kurama would be doing, living with a girl he didn't love and pretending to love her for the rest of her life, building her a home, giving her his bed and his children, waiting for her to die so he could finally go home.

Kurama hadn't contradicted Hiei or attempted to defend himself, merely repeated that it was his decision and he knew what he was doing. Hiei was certain he did; Kurama always did. He thought ahead and saw implications and contingencies that even Hiei couldn't see, and planned for them. So after that one initial burst of anger, Hiei didn't fight with Kurama about it again. He wasn't interested in trying to change the fox's mind, not where Shiori's happiness was concerned. Even though he knew he could.

That was the hard a bitter truth of the matter. Hiei knew he could have changed Kurama's mind with very few words. He liked to pretend he had done better than their other friends by refusing to acknowledge this marriage as anything other than a sham; but in reality the fight he'd had with Kurama had been no better, no closer to the truth. It was also a facade. Hiei's real anger lay buried much deeper and neither of them had gone near it that day.

But the day that Hiei had supposedly left for Makai--the day he had impatiently gestured Kurama away from his tuxedo fitting to talk to him, and Kurama had in turn gestured Hiei into a small fitting room, somehow sensing the need for privacy. Hiei was not a conversationalist. He had only stopped by as a courtesy, to let Kurama know he was leaving.

"You're not staying for the wedding?" Kurama was sad, but unsurprised.

"No, fox. I don't want to go to your wedding." The disgust with which Hiei said that was probably as close to saying the truth as he had ever come. The truth hummed unspoken between them, silent on both their lips.

"When will I see you again?" Kurama had asked quietly, after the pause. And then when Hiei hadn't answered, he had changed his question-- "Will I see you again?"

Hiei still hadn't answered. They had looked at each other, and known that something was changing between them forever, something was being lost and it could never be gotten back. And then Kurama had kissed him. Their first kiss, and their last, and of all places in the fitting room of some ningen shop. Hiei had allowed it--hell, who was he to fool himself. He had craved it. He had leaned into it. But before he could drown in it, he had pulled back and repeated, "I'm leaving for Makai."

Kurama moved forward when Hiei pulled back--only for a second, chasing after what was already lost, unable to stop himself. But he had composed himself. Hiei had stood, and something had made him add, "I'll see you in six months." Maybe he'd hoped the reassurance that he wasn't completely cutting Kurama out of his life would lift some of the fox's sadness; but Kurama had only bitten his lip, clasping his hands on his knees and looking down as if his heart had broken. Hiei couldn't stand the look--he wanted to kiss him again, to make it go away--and so he had run from the room, and not seen him since.

Now he couldn't see Kurama, only his silhouette, but he could still tell so much of what his friend was feeling. From the way his back was hunched over, from the way his shoulders were tense and his hands clenched, probably digging half-circles of red into his palms with his nails. He had a habit of doing that when he was bracing himself. Hiei's fingers ghosted over the shadow of Kurama's hair; he placed his hand on the tent and traced the outline of Kurama's face, his forehead and eyelashes and nose, letting his finger cling to the outline of his lips and hug the graceful curve of his neck.

And then he moved. Sometimes Hiei moved so fast he surprised his enemies; sometimes he moved so fast he surprised himself. Sometimes he moved faster than thought and was at his new destination before he knew why he'd gone there. Kurama was used to it, but there was still shock in his face when he looked up and suddenly Hiei was in front of him. "Hiei--"

"Don't."

"Hiei..." His voice was broken.

"Don't," Hiei repeated. It was not quite a statement, not quite a question, not a warning or--a plea, Hiei decided. That's what it was.

Kurama's face went through many emotions--compassion, certainly, pain and longing, and others. Guilt, maybe. Hiei tried to keep his own face stoic--he had said all he needed to say with that one word. But he knew his eyes were betraying him, and even knowing that he refused to lower them from Kurama's.

Silence stretched between them. It was broken by the ringing of bells, not so far away--wedding bells. Hiei knew he didn't have much time. He reached out his hand. "Come with me."

Kurama stood, and took his hand, but his eyes were still sad. "Hiei..."

His tone meant to say that he couldn't, that he wouldn't. But Hiei leaned up and kissed him again--their second, and not their last--and when he pulled back Kurama's will had dissolved. "Come with me," Hiei repeated, holding Kurama's hand tightly within his.

And Kurama did.

_A/N: Well, the original ending to this was a lot angstier. But when I was rewriting it Hiei took off and wouldn't give it back. Considering that he has a katana and I have a keyboard, I decided not to be the oh-so-foolish person who says he can't be with his fox. _  



	8. Ficlet 7: Questions

Fic #7: Questions  
Prompt #10: Just a Memory  
_A/N: This fic owes an indirect debt to Scheherzhad's fic Fish, because I know I wouldn't have written it in this format if I hadn't read that. Again, see my profile for the link. Imagine double breaks after every second paragraph, since I just can't get this site to obey me.  
_

There came a time, after a tournament, when one of them was beaten and broken down. When he remembered bombs exploding and a voice taunting, and knowing that he was trapped and coveted. It made the skin that had just begun to grow back crawl, and he found it necessary to go to the other and ask, do you still love me?

The other looked at him quietly, coolly, and said, You know the answer to that. But I need to hear it, the broken one replied. And his companion came to him, and wrapped his arms around him, and allowed him to hide for just a moment. I still love you, he said. And the broken one smiled, and remembered how it had once been.

There came a time, just before they parted, when one of them was beaten and broken down. When he was exhausted and disheartened and had achieved every goal he'd set for his life, and so there was no more reason to live. But before leaving to find a good way to die, he found it important to go to the other and ask, eyes averted, do you still love me? The other's answer was amused, and a quotation of the broken one's words, as he so often liked to throw them back. You know the answer to that. The broken one was quiet.

And the other held out his arms to him, and the broken one allowed himself to be held close, and words of blessing murmured into his ear. I still love you, the blessing went. I always will.

There came a time, before a tournament, when both of them were beaten and broken down. Neither could avoid the coming fight, and neither of them wanted to win, or to lose. Both feared being called to fight against each other. And after verbal blows had been exchanged with Yusuke, after their first public meeting in years, there came a private one in the hallway. The redhead found it prudent to ask, then, in a wistful tone, do you still love me?

The dark one looked at him like he was insane. I can't believe you have to ask that. You know the answer, you know it won't change. You know how little it matters who we love. And he walked away.

There came a time, after all the battles, when neither of them was beaten or broken down. There were no questions and no answers, that time; just knowing. Just falling in love as easily as if they had never fallen out of it, which they hadn't. A mutual decision to act as if what was true all along had suddenly been discovered, to surrender to each other and let it become more than wistfulness, more than memory.

They liked it when their friends teased them and got teased right back, and they liked it when Yukina called Kurama brother and Shiori called Hiei son. But what they liked best was when they sat alone together and it was quiet, so quiet, because neither of them had any questions left to ask.


	9. Ficlet 8: Queens

Ficlet #8: Queens  
Prompt #1: Hazel Eyes  
_A/N: I don't see anywhere in the rules that the hug has to take place between the couple selected for the set, so without further ado..._

Her eyes were hazel, Hiei decided. Many times they appeared blue, so much so that a casual observed might be fooled into thinking they always were. But he was no casual observer. He saw her eyes, or rather eye, more often than anyone else, and in the right light they turned purple, or sometimes gray. Hazel was the best term.

He knew he should be in love with her, so he decided that he was. She had none of the foibles that usually inspired his disgust in the fairer sex. She was stronger than he was. Strong enough to nurture and increase his strength without being threatened, strong enough to show him her pain and make him realize his own. Strong enough to accept his gesture of love when he reached out and unbound the chains she had never been willing or able to.

Strong enough that when he told her he was in love with her, she laughed so hard she turned over the chess table they were playing at and the pieces went flying. Hiei stared at her, silent, torn between confusion and hurt and anger. She laughed for a long time.

When she had managed to contain herself to an occasional chuckle and wiped the tears out of the corner of her natural eye, she helped Hiei right the chess table and claimed she'd forgotten how very young he was, as if that explained everything. She also claimed he was sweet, but an idiot, and that given both those qualities it was remarkable he'd survived long enough to come to her attention.

Hiei was patient, and ignored his indignation. He explained. They were perfect for each other. They understood each other's loneliness and accepted each other's pain. She was powerful and wise and beautiful, to him, and he wanted to stay with her.

"All of which makes us friends," she'd replied, gathering and reassembling the scattered chess pieces. "And you're welcome to stay with me. But you'll grow bored here, because the element of sheer _wanting_, of wanting _me_, is missing and you know it. Look here--" She'd gestured to the chess set. "The queen may be the most powerful piece on the board," she said, moving the pieces to demonstrate. "She's the piece you pay the most attention to, certainly. The piece you work with the most. But that doesn't make her the object of the game. She's your strongest ally in reaching your goal: and that goal is to capture the king."

Hiei stared at her, nonplussed. She tapped her finger impatiently against her own king figure, and Hiei automatically looked down at the board, trying to understand what she was saying. The chess set was an expensive one, made of marble and obsidian, and her pieces were carved out of jade.

Then he looked up at her again, at her hazel eyes, and saw an image overlaid over her--of eyes the same green as the jade king she was holding, eyes larger and more expressive than hers. And a shiver of that feeling she'd defined for him, the uncontrollable and undeniable _wanting_, coursed through him.

She smiled. "Now that you finally get it," she said, "there's no need to finish the game."

She was giving him permission to leave, now that he knew the point was to capture the king. Hiei rose, and gifted her with a rare smile. And when she rose too, and hugged him like a mother would hug her son, he allowed it.

"One more word of advice," she said as she released him. "In chess, both the queens are very important. So try not to disregard his."

"Can't I just send my queen to capture his?"

"If I recall correctly, your king has a tendency to react negatively to that happening. And if you think I'm dragging my ass to human world you're mistaken." She kissed him platonically, on the cheek, and then slapped him good naturedly. "That's for having the temerity to profess love to me."

"I was just practicing."

"Well, you did okay, but try acting like you mean it next time."

"I _will_ mean it, next time."

"And don't forget what I said about queens."

He scowled. "You just want to see me make nice to a human woman."

A slow grin spread across her face. "I must admit... I am looking forward to watching."


	10. Ficlet 9: Savior

Fic #9: Savior  
Prompt #9: Footprints

"Do we have to walk on this damn sand?"

"Unless you know how to fly, then yes, we do."

"Your footprints are deep. It's going to be obvious to anyone tracking us that you're carrying something."

"No one's tracking us, Hiei. They all died."

"Fox, it's just that kind of thinking that gets you caught."

"I know. But if there is someone following us, there's nothing I can do about it. So I was trying to reassure you."

Hiei snorted. He glanced back over Kurama's shoulder again, trying to judge the depth of his footprints. The "something" that Kurama was carrying happened to be Hiei. They'd had to fight off a whole flock of demons who weren't keen on the recent peace between the lands, and in the course of the battle Hiei had broken one ankle, hit his head, and lost a lot of blood, leaving him a bit woozy and not really able to walk. Kurama had fared better physically but had utterly exhausted his demon energy; so, rather than healing Hiei, he was carrying him back to Genkai's.

Unfortunately, there were several sandy beaches on Genkai's land. And every damned one of them seemed to have deliberately put itself between them and the temple.

Then the answer came to Hiei, and it was so simple he wondered just how hard he'd actually hit his head. "Fox, walk in the surf. It'll wash away your footprints."

"Is there any point to it now? We can't wipe out the ones we already made."

"True, but they wouldn't know where we went from here."

Kurama moved into the surf. Then he smiled, and shook his head, as if something had amused him. "What?" Hiei asked.

"This is just a little weird."

"How?"

"It makes me think of one of my mother's favorite stories, even though it's not really a parallel. I just can't stop thinking about it."

"What's the story about?"

"A man is walking along the beach with--well, with his savior, from a human religion. The beach is a metaphor for his life, and when he looks over his shoulder he can see two sets of footprints most of the time, but at the very worst parts of his life, the times he needed the most help, there were only one set. He asked the savior, why did you abandon me during the very worst parts of my life? And the savior replies that he didn't abandon the man, that the times there are only one set of footprints are when he was carrying him. Like I said, it's not really a parallel situation, but I am carrying you down a beach."

Hiei looked over Kurama's shoulder at the footprints again. "Fox, what's a savior?"

"Someone who saves you."

"Yes, I guessed that much. What from?"

"In this sense, the savior that the story's about, from your own sins. From corruption. Wickedness."

"He saves you from yourself," Hiei concluded.

"Yes, more or less."

Hiei tightened his grip on Kurama's shoulders. "I don't get it."

"It's a human religion. There are lots of religions where--"

"No, I get religions, fox. What I don't get is the part where you don't think you saved me from myself."

Kurama didn't say anything. The breath of honesty, of gratitude, was extremely rare from Hiei. When Hiei did say things like that he usually surprised himself as much as Kurama, and they were always alone. And Kurama was always quiet afterwards, as if he was soaking up every precious second of the moment to store in his memory. Though he said nothing, his smile and his peaceful expression were thanks enough to Hiei. He relaxed in the fox's embrace, and quit looking over his shoulder.


	11. Ficlet 10: Just Think of Me

Ficlet #10: Just Think of Me  
Prompt #16: Think of me and I'll be there.  
_A/N: Wow, can't believe I'm a third of the way through these. To celebrate, a short, sad-yet-sweet one._

Kurama stood looking out the window, completely alone, in a house that was completely silent. Not even the gentle hum of electricity could be heard. The appliances had been turned off, the thermostat disabled; aside from the solitary figure by the window, the house was completely empty of life. Kurama could see his breath on the windowpane.

He hadn't meant to come here. But after the funeral, he'd found himself at loose ends. For the first time since finding Shiori in her bed but not asleep, he hadn't had anything that he needed to do. There had been affairs to set in order, the obituary and funeral to arrange, family to contact; and Kurama had done all that peacefully, for he knew Shiori had been ready to go.

He hadn't even cried over it yet.

He didn't know why he had come here. To his old house, his old room, to stare out at an empty street. It wasn't that he had nowhere to go. There were warm houses where he was known as a favorite uncle, there were old friends who would take him out to commiserate while their wives made up a spare bed at a moment's notice, if only he gave the indication he wanted their help; there was Shuichi, whom Shiori had also been a mother to. But Kurama didn't feel the faintest spark of desire to be with any of them.

He turned away from the window and looked around the empty room, holding his arms to himself for warmth. So many memories here. So much had happened in those days; so much strife, and so much camaraderie too, so many lifelong friendships formed. Yusuke, and Kuwabara--the houses he knew he would be welcomed into if he only asked. Botan and all the other girls, who still threw parties two and three times and year to bring all the old crew together. Hiei, whom he still considered his closest friend despite the fact that they sometimes went years between visits; Hiei, who still knew him better than anyone.

Kurama felt a slight stinging start behind his eyes. He did nothing to stop it, but tears still did not follow. The eerie calm that had carried him through the last few days was starting to break, but not completely. Not yet. He looked around the empty room, suddenly realizing exactly how alone he was, and for the first time wanted someone to hold on to. Needed someone to hold on to.

There was a familiar noise behind him--the window opening. Then, the warmth of another body behind him. Arms gently circled his waist, and a kiss was pressed against his cheek from a mouth not used to such gentilities. "I told you," a deep voice said softly, "that if you needed me, I would come. Just think of me, and I'm here."

"Hiei," Kurama sighed, a long exhalation of pent up emotion in that one word. He turned around, wrapped his arms tightly around his friend, and began to cry.


	12. Ficlet 11: Peaceful

Fic #11: Peaceful  
Prompt #25: The curtain falls  
_A/N: Just a warning, folks; if you thought the last one was a tearjerker, you ain't seen nothing yet. My beta-type-person advised me to attach the following warning: "You will cry. You will cry for a minimum of fifteen minutes." I wouldn't go that far, but proceed with caution nonetheless._

When Yusuke got to where Hiei had fallen, panting from having run so hard, he was relieved to find Kurama already holding Hiei gently in his arms. Yusuke had been afraid, when he'd seen the sword slice through Hiei's abdomen, for he knew the sword had been poisoned. Kurama must have been frightened, too, for their were tears on his face. But Kurama was smiling, and Hiei was impatiently brushing the tears away. No harm, no foul; no poison too complicated for their plant master.

"Damn, Hiei, you scared me," Yusuke commented, wiping his brow. Both Hiei and Kurama looked up at him, startled out of their conversation. Then Hiei gave an uncharacteristic, if crooked, smile, and they turned their attention back to each other.

"I can give you something for the pain," Kurama offered. Hiei snorted his opinion of that. Yusuke guessed from Kurama's statement that it was going to take awhile for the poison to work its way out of Hiei's system, kind of like the time it had taken Kurama hours to force the death plant out of his own body, but Kurama should have known better than to think Hiei would accept an anesthetic. Probably he did know, but had felt obliged to make the offer anyway.

Something was weird about the way they were holding each other, though. Kurama was kneeling and holding Hiei both gently and securely, supporting his torso entirely and cradling Hiei's head in the curve of his arm. Hiei's legs were stretched out on the ground and he was almost completely limp, the only tension in his body being a slight return grip on Kurama's arms. Hiei was...

Peaceful. And that made Yusuke uneasy.

"So what's going to happen?" Hiei asked casually

"You're going to become cold soon, and you might feel a tingling in your fingers and toes," Kurama replied, ever the authority on such matters. "That will last for about four or five minutes. Then you'll unfortunately be in a certain amount of agony, but that doesn't last very long, hardly more than a minute. When that ends... it won't be cold, or painful, anymore."

Hiei nodded his acceptance. "Don't you hate it when doctors do that?" Yusuke asked. "Give you something that hurts like hell or tastes really nasty to make it better."

"Yusuke." Hiei said his name quietly, not in annoyance like he usually did--just quietly, calmly, even with a certain amount of affection if anything Hiei did could be labeled affectionate. But Yusuke got the impression nonetheless that he'd been told to shut up, and did so.

Kurama and Hiei were quiet, seeming to forget Yusuke was there. Something was going on between them, and Yusuke knew better than to pry. They knew each other better than he could ever hope to know either of them, and they had more secrets than he could begin to suspect, and there were times that he just couldn't understand what was happening and had to let it be. This was turning into one of those times.

Because Kurama was still crying. He was trying not to, and Hiei was extremely irritated with him, Yusuke could tell by the way the smaller demon's face tightened. Kurama brushed his own tears away this time, apologizing in a soft voice. Hiei grunted.

Then he shivered, convulsively. Yusuke remembered what Kurama'd said about the cure starting to make him cold. Kurama gathered Hiei closer to his own body, and Hiei allowed it. Yusuke wondered if some part of the antidote was making Hiei limp, for him to be so unresisting. Kurama was even getting away with stroking Hiei's hair back, and Yusuke had to suppress a snort of amusement at the sight. "Is there anything that you need to tell me?" Kurama inquired.

"No. Anything you need to tell me?"

"No."

They were quiet again while Hiei shivered for a moment. "You don't have to stay," Hiei finally muttered. "I don't need you here."

"I know," Kurama replied calmly. "I'd like to stay."

"Hn."

Then Hiei drew his breath in sharply, and spasmed slightly. "Hurting?" Kurama asked.

Hiei nodded jerkily, speech clearly beyond him. Yusuke felt a stab of sympathy. "Okay," Kurama said, pulling Hiei much closer, into a firm embrace, and taking a deep breath as if steeling himself. "You can hit me if you like, or hold on to me, if it will help. It won't last long."

"S'like I'm on fire," Hiei grunted, arms closing spasmodically over Kurama's shoulders.

"It'll be over soon," Kurama soothed, stroking Hiei's back.

Hiei said something else, but his voice was so distorted by the pain Yusuke couldn't quite make out what he said. He thought the second word might have been "her." Whatever it was, Kurama understood because he nodded and said, "I'll tell her." He held Hiei tighter. "Anything else?"

Hiei shook his head, and made a negative noise that turned into a sigh as their arms relaxed from their frantic hold. He took a deep breath.

"Feel better?" Kurama asked, so soft it was nearly a whisper.

"Mm... not cold..." Hiei's voice was drifting. He was losing consciousness.

"Good," Kurama whispered.

Hiei went completely limp. Kurama brushed his hair back from his forehead. Then he gently lowered Hiei to the ground, and stood up.

"How long will he be out?" Yusuke asked, feeling it was safe to speak again.

Kurama looked at him, startled, as though he had actually forgotten Yusuke was there. The expression on his face, or rather the lack of an expression, frightened Yusuke slightly. "Is he hibernating?" he continued uneasily. "Or did whatever you gave to him knock him out?"

Kurama looked at him uncomprehendingly for a few moments, blinking. He was no longer crying. "Yusuke," he said finally, "I didn't give him anything. Hiei is dead."

Everything inside Yusuke went still. It was his turn to stare uncomprehendingly. "What?"

Kurama's face remained blank. Yusuke ran to Hiei's body. There was no pulse, no breath moving in his chest, and his skin was already beginning to cool. "What happened?" Yusuke cried out.

"He was poisoned."

"Yeah, but--I thought you were fixing him?!"

"The poison he was given is called takainomino." Kurama's hands were shaking slightly, but his voice was calm. "It is rare and extremely costly because there is no antidote known, no way to even slow its effects. Hiei was dead from the moment the sword touched him, and he knew it as well as I. There was no need to prevaricate."

"What are we going to do?"

Kurama shrugged. "Nothing. We should get out of here," he added. "We don't need to bring the body." He started to move off.

Yusuke's voice was shaking with anger. "You're going to leave your best friend's body?"

Kurama turned to face him. "Yes," he said calmly. "He's not in it anymore. And he wouldn't have wanted a burial." He looked at Hiei. "I should probably return his necklace to Yukina, though."

Yusuke watched as Kurama crossed over to both of them. His hands were still shaking as he reached for the chain, and he seemed to hesitate for a moment before unfastening it--his face was hard, but blank. He stood and looked at Hiei for a moment before slipping the gem into his pocket and turning to walk away.

He got about eight feet before suddenly crumpling to the ground. Yusuke dashed after him, his heart in his mouth. Was Kurama, also, incurably poisoned?

But when he reached his friend he discovered Kurama was merely crying. Crying in a way Yusuke had never seen him or anyone else cry before, quietly, but so intensely it was a wonder he could breathe. "He said before you came," Kurama choked out, the words broken up between tears, "that me crying was a stupid waste and if I really had to do it, would I at least mind waiting until he didn't have to watch."

Yusuke silently wrapped his arms around Kurama. No longer needing to be strong for his comrade, Kurama fell apart completely, to the point that Yusuke wasn't certain if he even knew Yusuke was there anymore. Yusuke realized with sudden clarity that he would not, indeed, be bringing Hiei's body back from this battlefield: because he could only carry one person at a time, and if he was not very much mistaken it would be some time before Kurama could stop crying enough to walk.


	13. Ficlet 12: Which has a Really Long Title

Ficlet #12: The Most Undignified Moment of Hiei's Life, Caught on Camera  
Prompt #30: Hug!  
_A/N_: (_wipes forehead) Whew! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready for some fluff after that last one. So I'm completely switching gears here, and as the title may suggest, there is sheer WAFF ahead. Enjoy._

Hiei had come a loooooong way.

In a few short years, he had progressed from a cold and sneering demon unable to even admit his relation to his sister, to someone who was willing to hold his boyfriend's hand while accompanying him to a ningen family reunion. He was expected to make small talk and permit people he did not know to shake his hand or even hug him, and he was doing so. He had left his katana at home, just to be on the safe side. Instincts were instincts, after all.

But so far this precaution had proved unnecessary. Not to imply that Hiei actually _liked_ the ningens; he hadn't changed _that_ much. But something was sustaining him enough to endure them. It could have been the glow of Kurama's joyful _yes_ a few days earlier, still making him warm whenever he thought about it; it could have been how much it pleased Kurama to have Hiei with him, to be able to introduce him to his extended family. Or it could definitely have something to do with the sexy ways Kurama had promised to reward him for attending the reunion. Whatever it was, it had to do with Kurama, and that was the real depth of the change in Hiei. Kurama's happiness was reason enough to do something; Kurama's happiness meant Hiei's happiness.

And Kurama was happy. Hiei knew part of it was that he did genuinely enjoy his extended family's company, but he also knew part of it was pride in their efforts to include Hiei, and Hiei's toleration of those efforts. Like right now, sitting in the living room with various groups being called to pose for photographs--something Kurama informed him some of the family considered a near sacrosanct tradition--with five or six cousins armed with ten or eleven cameras. And one of them called, "Shuichi, why don't we get a few just of you and Hiei?"

Hiei hated posing for photographs. But while he refused to smile, he conceded to sitting next to Kurama and allowing Kurama to put an arm around him, and Kurama squeezed his shoulders gently in thanks. The same cousin, someone who reminded Hiei of a slightly more intelligent Botan, remarked, "Shuichi, if I can say so without it being all awkward, you've got yourself a really cute boyfriend."

A moment of silent communication passed between Hiei and Kurama, the kind accomplished not with telepathy but with the lift of an eyebrow or the tilt of a jaw. Kurama: _Can I? Is now a good time?_ Hiei: _Yes. Go ahead._ "Actually," Kurama corrected, smiling, "what I've got is a really cute fiancé."

The announcement was ill-timed. Shiori had just been carrying a carrot cake out from the kitchen, and the cake met with an untimely demise as she gasped and dropped it. Kurama looked slightly sheepish. "Oh," Shiori gasped, while everyone grinned between her and her son. "Oh--Hiei!"

And the next thing Hiei knew...

Shiori was a small woman, but Hiei was positively petite, and Shiori had absolutely no trouble lifting him off the ground and spin him around in a circle. She was squeezing him so tightly Hiei could not inhale, nor in fact do anything but hang on for dear life. Hiei's face blanked into an expression of complete shock and some slight fear, his eyes so wide in bewilderment that they nearly fell out of his head and his mouth slightly open in a surprised grimace. His feet remained a good six inches above the floor as Shiori continued to hold him as she twirled, babbling about how happy she was to finally have Hiei for a son after all these years. All five or six cousins who had their cameras ready smiled and caught the moment in their viewframes.

It was many minutes before someone thought to clean up the unfortunate cake. By that point Hiei had long since regained his feet, but not his sense of equilibrium. He was petrified someone else was going to pick him up. He would have liked to glue himself to Kurama's side for protection, but upon seeing Hiei's expression as Shiori hugged him Kurama had become incapacitated with laughter and did not recover for a good ten minutes. In which time Hiei was congratulated, hugged, shaken hands with, teased, and congratulated some more until his head was spinning and he was ready to dive under the couch. Ningens were scary.

Kurama finally calmed down enough to collect his own hug from his mother--and oh, how Shiori would be teased in years to come for hugging Hiei first--and only then did he manage to rescue Hiei from his family's attentions. Luckily Hiei was not murderous, just shaken up, and a few moments of Kurama's fond smile and his arm securely around Hiei's shoulders restored the equilibrium that had been so sorely lacking. The gathering returned to a slightly more jubilant definition of normal.

Later, when most everyone had gone home, Hiei went into the kitchen where Shiori was packing up leftovers. She smiled at him but did not speak until he had stood there watching her for a few moments. "What can I do for you, Hiei?"

Hiei shrugged, his arms crossed across his chest. "I... wanted to say thank you."

"For?"

Hiei shrugged again. "It's just no one's ever been so happy to call me a son before."

Shiori wordlessly held her arms out for him. A few minutes later when Kurama went looking for his mate he found him still in Shiori's embrace, and stood in the doorway watching them fondly, ready to take Hiei home but waiting for them to break their embrace of their own accord before he did so.


	14. Ficlet 13: Entangled

Ficlet #13: Entangled  
Prompt #7: Tangled Up  
_A/N: I took several bashes at this one and couldn't get it quite right, so I had to settle for good enough. Please bear with me on my long-shots, I'm hard at work on both of them but both of them are at extremely important/difficult chapters. And in the meantime, enjoy a flurry of hug ficlets! _

Hiei woke to an all-too-familiar sensation, that of his bedmate kicking and clumsily hitting him. It was so familiar that he only woke halfway, just far enough to issue a growl and shove the other body away.

But for tonight Kurama seemed not to care about the growl, and the next thing Hiei knew the life was nearly being squeezed out of him as the only person in all three worlds who could get away with it grabbed him and hugged him with near suffocating force, nuzzling his face against Hiei's chest.

This was far from usual, and Hiei could do nothing but blink stupidly at the fox for a moment. When the temporary insanity did not pass Hiei deduced some sort of action on his part was necessary. But what kind of action was required? What was happening? He'd assumed that Kurama had just been experiencing his regular nightmares, and would deal with them on his own like he always did--but judging from his current reaction, maybe they were worse tonight than he had ever let on to them being.

Cautiously, aware that he was also one of very few people who could do this without losing his hand at the wrist and wanting to preserve that status, Hiei laid a calming hand on the crown of Kurama's head. When this failed to get a reaction, Hiei tried moving the hand down and combing it through Kurama's hair.

The desired effect had been for Kurama to calm down, and thus disentangle himself from Hiei, but instead Kurama pressed closer, close enough that Hiei could feel him trembling. _Damn._

Reacting with instincts he hadn't known he possessed, Hiei brought his other hand to Kurama's back and pulled him closer, still stroking his hair, and bent his own head to rest his cheek gently on Kurama's hair. Then Hiei had to stop for a minute and figure out why he'd reacted like that. A fleeting analyzation of his own movements concluded that he had probably been trying to offer comfort, to suggest that he was somehow protecting Kurama. Ridiculous. "Tell me what's wrong," he said. And he had meant that as a directive, a command only; but had a hint of concern, of cozening, snuck into his voice?

"Karasu," Kurama said, the word muffled from speaking against Hiei's chest.

"Karasu's dead," Hiei replied calmly.

"That doesn't stop me from dreaming about him!" There seemed to be a world of pent up rage and frustration and fear in that one sentence, and Kurama bit the end of it off as if afraid of what more he might say.

Hiei switched tactics, though he replied in the same calm tone. "It's just a dream."

"That doesn't stop it from frightening me." Less anger this time--more defeat.

Hiei paused. "I'm here," he said, softly.

Kurama also paused. And then the tension fled from his body, but he didn't pull back. "Don't leave."

"I can't at the moment," Hiei pointed out, as the fox was still draped over him. "But I won't. Just straighten the damned covers out before you fall back asleep."

Kurama did as requested, freeing the twisted bedsheets from around both of their legs; and when he lay back down with his head still on Hiei's chest, Hiei put his arms around him, shrugging his acceptance of their new sleeping arrangement. It was, after all, Kurama's bed.

When Hiei woke up an hour before dawn to find Kurama twitching in nightmares again but not yet awake, he tried repeating the combing action he had taken through Kurama's hair earlier. "Shush. I'm here."

He couldn't have been more surprised when it worked. Kurama quieted, and fell back into a peaceful slumber without having woken up. Hiei had not been expecting that to happen.

He did not go back to sleep himself, but stayed up looking at the fox for a few hours, thinking uneasy thoughts. But when Kurama's alarm went off at the usual ungodly hour of the morning, Hiei displayed his normal response of growling and yanking a pillow over his head, giving Kurama no sign that he'd already been awake. Kurama, as usual, stumbled out of bed and got dressed in the dark, moving quietly so as not to disturb Hiei. When Kurama was gone Hiei tried to get a few more hours sleep, but eventually gave up and flitted out the window.

That night, as usual, Kurama was already asleep when Hiei got there. The window was always unlocked, though, and Hiei let himself in and tried not to wake Kurama as he got into bed--it was generous enough of Kurama to let him sleep here without Hiei waking him up at all hours of the night. Sometimes, though, Hiei would "accidentally" wake him anyway just so that Kurama would ask about his day, like a friend, like someone who cared. But tonight wasn't one of those nights, and Hiei just let himself drop into the bed for some much-needed rest.

He woke in the middle of the night, sweaty and entangled in both the sheets and Kurama, and realized from his own harsh breathing and the fox's state of slumber that it had been his own dream, and not Kurama's, that had awakened him. He stared at Kurama for a few minutes, licking his dry lips and considering. It would be so easy. So very, very easy to turn his dreams into a reality. After all, they already slept in the same bed. How much easier would it be to just reach out and touch him--

But Hiei only looked, and did not touch. The reason they slept in the same bed was that Kurama trusted him enough to let him in, and that trust was not yet unbreakable. If Hiei tried to change things, tried to bind them tighter, move them closer, the trust might shatter.

And that was not a risk Hiei was willing to take. No matter how enmeshed in each other's lives and psyches they accidentally became--if Kurama ever wanted more, he would have to ask for it.


	15. Ficlet 14: Let Go

_Ficlet #14: Let Go  
Prompt #24: Love and Hate_

"Let go."

"No."

"Let go."

Kurama tightened his grip. "I won't."

This, then, was it. After years of dancing around the subject, years of patiently breaking down emotional walls, the challenge had been brought. It had to happen now, because Hiei was exhausted from the many battles they'd endured over the past days, physically weak and emotionally vulnerable. His barriers were crumbling, and the only way to build them back up would be to push everyone away. But this time, Kurama refused to be pushed.

Hiei tried. He tried to fight his way out of Kurama's arms--and was it an embrace or a restraint they were currently engaged in?--tried to twist his way out, like a captured cat who believes that if he pretends hard enough he doesn't have a spine, it just might work. Then, when nothing happened, he grew angry and tried to claw his way out. His hands ripped Kurama's shirt and he scratched at Kurama's skin until he felt sticky warmth on his fingertips, and Kurama tightened his hold on Hiei and made no sound.

In this way Kurama let Hiei know that hurting him wouldn't make him leave. But while Hiei understood what Kurama was saying, he did not believe it. He allowed himself to give in to his exhaustion for a moment and slumped in Kurama's arms, and Kurama shifted slightly so that he was hugging Hiei rather than capturing him. But when Hiei tested him, suddenly trying to flee after several minutes of absolute limpness, Kurama was ready: his arms contracted as fast as Hiei could move, and he did not escape.

"Let go."

"No."

"Let me go."

"I love you."

"I hate you."

"No."

"Let. Go."

"Absolutely not."

Hiei was crying. He kissed Kurama. Kurama kissed back, deeply. When he knew the kitsune had started to believe him, Hiei took the fingers that had been wandering over Kurama's neck and plunged them into his skin, just next to the vertebrae, with so much force that they sunk in past skin and into muscle. Kurama cried out, spasming slightly in pain, the kiss broken.

They sat breathing heavily in silence for a moment, Hiei's hands sticky with Kurama's blood, Kurama's arms trembling with the tension with which he held Hiei. Hiei felt sick. He only meant for Kurama to-- "Let go," he whispered.

"No."

Hiei was exhausted, again; his head fell onto Kurama's shoulder. Kurama flinched badly. "Hiei--I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't hurt me anymore. I won't let you go either way. But I'd appreciate it."

Hiei started crying. Because just as he'd known would happen--just as he'd been trying to force, to get it over with--he'd hurt Kurama and now Kurama was afraid of him. But Kurama must have been a true masochist, because he still wouldn't-- "Don't," Hiei whimpered.

"Too late," Kurama replied, calmly. "I already did. A long time ago."

"Please--don't."

"Please _do_." Kurama pulled him closer.

"I can't."

"Yes you can." Kurama was still calm. "You already do."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if you didn't love me, you wouldn't be trying to push me away so hard."

Hiei had nothing to say to that. Except, "Let go."

"No."

Hiei pressed closer to him. Kurama again shifted his hold to something resembling tenderness, but Hiei knew there would be no escape should he try to flee. Kurama was nuzzling his hair, his ear, his side of the neck--and then there was a suggestive scrape of teeth against his neck, which to a demon was the equivalent of dropping down on one knee. "Don't," Hiei pleaded, aware that he could not really stop Kurama from doing exactly what he chose to.

"Why not?" Kurama's breath was warm and moist, raising the hairs on Hiei's neck.

"If you do, it's forever."

"It's already forever."

Kurama set his teeth against Hiei's neck again, gently, giving Hiei an opportunity to struggle. Hiei was long past the point of physical resistance, but he meant to tell Kurama he was being stupid and he did not want this. He got as far as "Kurama..."

And Kurama considered that a lack of protest. His teeth bit into Hiei's neck, and his energy bit right through Hiei's soul. Hiei lost awareness of his surroundings for a moment, drowning in something that might have been either bliss or agony. When he came back to himself he realized his face was streaked with tears, and Kurama had still not released him.

Kurama's presence--his energy, his thoughts, his emotions--all of these hummed in the air between Hiei and the rest of the world, simultaneously guarding him and letting everyone know exactly who Hiei belonged to. Angry, Hiei turned his head to tear away Kurama's independence also--and stopped.

Kurama's neck arched slightly against Hiei's mouth, indicating readiness. "Make me," Hiei challenged softly.

"No."

"Do it. You already marked me."

"And it is your decision whether or not I am worthy of your mark in return. "

Hiei pulled back, and Kurama's hands tightened slightly on his back. "Please," he said softly. Hiei moved forward again, and hesitated, waiting for Kurama's hand on the back of his neck, waiting for him to take what he wanted. And of course, possessing the contrary nature that he did, the damned fox would not.

Hiei let his head drop onto Kurama's shoulder. He felt Kurama's shoulders sag with disappointment, with sadness. And that gave him the motivation he needed to, without thinking, raise his head and suddenly sink his teeth even deeper into Kurama's neck than Kurama had done to him.

Kurama released him, unable to retain control of his body during the marking process. Hiei could have fled--the moment of inattention was no more than ten or fifteen seconds, but Hiei would have needed only one to escape. And once gone Kurama could not have recaptured him.

Kurama's arms encircled him again once he regained control, perhaps even a few second before he did. Hiei wasn't even certain Kurama was aware that he had let go, and Hiei had chosen to stay. Kurama's demon heart was beating fast enough for the beats to be noticeable. "Let go?" Hiei inquired.

"Under no circumstances," Kurama replied with a smile.

"Take me home?"

And that, at last, was a request that Kurama could happily agree to.


	16. Ficlet 15: From Dust Were We Made

Ficlet #15: From Dust Were We Made  
Prompt #28: Dust

_A/N: A darker one here to mark the halfway point... I promise a happy one next time. Usually I sit and ruminate on these for a week or so before posting, but this one just poured out of me tonight and I like it enough that you get it fresh from the oven, as it were._

This has the potential to be triggering (and if you don't know what that means you don't need to, so don't worry about it).  


Sand was blowing over a Makai desert. The only sign of life was a small demon, perched arrogantly at the edge of a cliff overlooking the barren landscape, watching the storm come in. His expression was unreadable.

After a long time, hours perhaps, of this immobile regard, another demon came to sit next to the first. The newcomer waited only a moment before speaking. "Why are we here?"

Hiei shrugged. Every signal he was giving indicated he was not open to conversation, but Kurama had never been known to respect such cues from Hiei. "Then if you have no reason to be here, may we leave?"

"I have no control over your actions."

"How unlike you to lie to me," Kurama said quietly.

"... I desire no control over your actions."

"Better."

"You can go if you wish."

"Hiei, what are you looking at?" Silence. "What happened here?"

After a moment: "I'm not sure I even know. So many things happened... so many places... it all blurs together, like it doesn't matter."

"Like it doesn't matter," Kurama echoed... "but it does." He spoke carefully, his tone gentle and casual yet still somehow serious. "It is always difficult," he began, "to be a child without a parent, without a defense. And it is always difficult to be a child in the Makai, where the weak and the unallied are devoured quickly. Your survival under both conditions is not unique, but it _is_ rare." A slight pause, and he began to stumble over his words, searching so carefully for the right ones. "I know my own childhood in Makai was... I know things happened that... that would send a human child into lifelong therapy. The... the exploitation of children in Makai, the use of them for the ease and the--the pleasure, of those stronger than them..."

Hiei had not moved, not done so much as blink an eyelid, but they were sitting close enough that the trembling of his body was transmitted to Kurama through their shirt sleeves. "I know things happened to me that I would rather forget," Kurama said, staring with an expressionless face and wide eyes over the desert. "That I can't forget. And I know that while I was not quite sheltered, I was far from abandoned as a child, unlike you."

Kurama stopped talking for a moment, but Hiei still said nothing. They watched the wind increasing for a moment. The sand blew in and stung their faces, making them too dry for tears. "From dust were we made," Kurama murmured, half to himself, "and unto dust we shall return."

"Hm?"

"Human saying. About the impermanence of things. It's supposed to make you feel humble, but it makes me feel... old. Detached. Swept from my body, in a different place... but it's peaceful, too, in that other place. Nothing is permanent, nothing can hurt for forever... because from dust we were made, and dust we shall be..."

After another brief moment of silence, Kurama stood. Hiei followed him up. Then Hiei turned to him, and they held each other for a moment, shielding their faces from the gathering sandstorm in each other's hair. For a moment they became one single entity, trembling and quaking, and it was unclear which of them was shivering and which of them was providing support--perhaps it would have been safest to say that they were both trembling, but that they were both also disregarding this in favor of trying to provide enough support, enough strength, to stop the other from shaking. The full strength of the storm hit, then, and they stood still and quiet, molding their strengths to the other's weaknesses and weaknesses to the other's strengths so that they might both remain upright, waiting and hiding in each other until the storm passed, and enduring silently while it lasted.


	17. Ficlet 16: You and I, Collide

Ficlet #16: You and I, Collide  
Prompt #5: Collide

_Here's the happy one I promised you, and also the fourth update I promised. (I am close to updating After All This Time as well, I know it's been nearly two months and I apologize). The title for this fic is borrowed from a song by Howie Day, and there is a flashback sequence done in italics... and I think that's all you need to know. :) Enjoy_

When Hiei came back to the human world he didn't do it with any fanfare; he simply appeared on the hillside where they were all picnicking one day, exactly as though he had never declared he was through with the human world forever. And somehow it was the lack off fuss, just seeing him standing there as cocky and apparently disinterested as ever, that let everybody know he was back to stay.

Everyone had a different degree of reaction; the girls tittered their hellos, Yukina's particularly sweet, and Kuwabara magnanimously declared he wouldn't beat Hiei up in front of said girls. Yusuke, however, took his life in his hands by running forward and giving Hiei both a hug and a noogie at the same time.

When Hiei managed to remove himself from Yusuke he looked at Kurama. Kurama was smiling and he had gotten to his feet, but he had not moved towards Hiei. Hiei frowned. "Fox--why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset," Kurama assured him, looking surprised.

"But you're crying," Hiei said seriously.

Kurama immediately brought a hand up to wipe his eyes. "It's just... I'm sorry, I--" Everyone sat back and stared, a little lost in the novelty of hearing Kurama stumble over his words. "I'm just happy."

Hiei's frown deepened. "Don't lie to me, Kurama," he said firmly. "Why would you cry if you're happy?"

"Because that's what human bodies do." Kurama's voice was a little shaky, and he gestured rather feebly with his hands. "Whenever a human body goes through any strong emotion--joy, or sorrow, or fright, or really anything--it can lead to tears."

Hiei glanced quickly to his side, and Yusuke nodded confirmation of what Kurama had said. Hiei's eyes flicked back to Kurama, but neither of them moved. No one spoke for a minute. There seemed to be some sort of tension, some question, between the two demons--and the others were suddenly busy doing other things, not looking but also not speaking so they could hear anything that was said.

Finally Hiei took a few steps closer to Kurama until he was standing directly in front of him. "Yes," he said simply.

Kurama raised his eyebrows slightly. "Yes?"

"Yes--I remember what was said."

_The two demons stood leaning against the frame of the same window, looking out over the horizon and not at each other, each of them trying to hide the depth of their sorrow. "I know you have to go back," Kurama said quietly. "I understand. It doesn't make me happy, but I do understand."_

_Still not looking at him, Hiei took Kurama's right hand in his left and tried to speak. "You know... how I..."_

"_I do." Kurama's voice was quieter. "And I'm telling you I accept your decision."_

_They were quiet a moment longer. Then Hiei said, "I don't... I don't want to give up on this. I have to go back. But if I ever come back here, you'll know why. If I come back to this world, it will be for you."_

"I remember," Hiei repeated, his tone more confident than his face, "and I'm acting in accordance."

Kurama continued to regard him seriously for a moment, his face not quite readable, and Hiei returned his regard, not entirely certain of his welcome. Then Kurama took a step forward--and pounced.

There was a teetering, breathless moment in which Hiei managed to catch him--but then he overbalanced and the two of them went tumbling. Since Hiei'd been standing right at the edge of the hilltop, they went tumbling a long way. The others rushed forward to watch their descent with varying mixtures of concern and amusement. When they finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill it was with Kurama perched over Hiei, kissing him and displaying another human trait of laughing and crying at the same time. Hiei seemed to be returning the kisses.

After staring in silence for a moment, Kuwabara nudged Yusuke. "What do you make of that?"

Yusuke shrugged. Then he smiled. "I think it's the happiest I've ever seen him."

"Who him? I mean, Kurama or Hiei?

"... Yeah. Him."


	18. Ficlet 17: Simple As It Should Be

Ficlet #17: Simple As It Should Be  
Prompt #2: Rainbows and Butterflies

_Massive A/N: Wow, two happy ones in a row... and another "blink and you'll miss the hug" one, I just get so carried away with the prompts... anyway, whenever I thought about this prompt, the only thing that would come to mind was the song "Simple As It Should Be" by Tristan Prettyman. I took a lot of different tries at this and finally came up with something that I like; the lyrics did not fit into the story as a songfic, but they are so much a part of the story to me that I couldn't resist including some of them at the end (with a few gender changes). Consider it an epilogue to this ficlet._

Yusuke had been laughed at a lot in his life. Having been trained by Genkai alone was enough to guarantee that, and then there was the fact that the demons he fought had a creepy tendency to break into stereotypically evil laughter. He also felt stupid a lot (Genkai helped with that one too), and more often than not it was justified. But the stupidest Yusuke ever felt, and also the hardest he was ever laughed at, were both at the hands of two of his closest friends.

It started when he found out something about Kurama--and finding it out already made him feel stupid, for he should have realized it before. He'd always seen how Kurama's eyes followed Hiei, always heard the affection in his voice when he teased the other demon, always known that Kurama held Hiei in higher regard than he would admit to. But when Kurama told him one night, in his quiet way, that he and Hiei were in love, Yusuke's reaction was anger. Anger at Hiei for taking advantage of Kurama's human emotions, anger at his dishonor and cruelty in letting Kurama harbor such a belief. He did not for a second consider that Hiei could be in love; he knew Hiei better than that. So he went out to confront him.

At first Hiei was disconcerted. "What is it you think I should be doing?" he asked, with more confusion than disdain.

"You can't hurt Kurama like this," Yusuke replied angrily.

Hiei looked truly lost. "How am I hurting him?"

"By letting him believe that you love him!"

"But I do love him."

Yusuke had to pause for a minute, but he regrouped quickly. "I mean _love_, Hiei, not friendship. Like me and Keiko, or--"

"I know what you mean, detective," Hiei interrupted, his tone regaining its normal derision. "You honestly believe I don't know exactly what Kurama thinks and feels? Better than you do, and especially when it concerns me? You think I would lead him on? You have a lot to learn about love."

"But I'm _in_ love," Yusuke spluttered. "And you--"

"Are also in love," Hiei replied calmly. "And furthermore, it's none of your goddamned business."

Yusuke stared at him like an idiot for a minute, the wind completely taken out of his sails. Hiei started to smile slightly. "You know, detective, that under normal circumstances I would have to kill you for accusing me of acting so dishonorably. I'll give you a pass today because I know _you_ were acting honorably, out of concern for your friend. But really, you should know us both better."

"But--that's the thing," Yusuke said, regaining his voice. "I _should_ have known. I've never--I've known you for years and I've never seen you so much as _hug _each other! I know you're both private people, but this is ridiculous! If you've been lovers than I ought to have at least--"

"Who said anything about being lovers?"

Yusuke must have looked very pitiable in his confusion, because after a minute of bewildered silence Hiei relented and explained again. "Look, Yusuke, this is simple, so simple even you can get it. I love Kurama; I know Kurama loves me. I know he won't love anyone other than me, and I know he'll wait until we can be together. He knows the same about me. So yes, someday we'll be lovers--when he's free of this human world, maybe, or whenever we can be. It doesn't matter. What matters is that we love each other, and if it's good it enough for us it had damned well better be good enough for you. "

"But... I didn't know..."

At that, Hiei smirked. "Well, what did you expect? Banners and trumpets? What is it you humans do when you think you're in love--flowers, hearts, rainbows and butterflies and such? You can't honestly expect rainbows and butterflies from me? I've no need for all that. He knows I love him. As you should too by now." Hiei's smile at that was almost malicious, and Yusuke decided it was time to backpedal, admit to his error, and get the hell out of there.

Later, still quite dazed, he related the entire conversation to Kurama, who was rather amused. So amused, in fact, that even after he had hugged Yusuke and blessed him for being so naive he couldn't stop laughing--he laughed so long, and so loud, that Yusuke grew annoyed and left the red-haired hyena to his own devices.

_Put your hands to my hands  
Put your knees to my knees  
Put your eyes to my eyes  
Come on baby, compliment me_

_'Cause I don't think that we  
Should ever feel the need to worry  
Every get ourselves in a hurry  
You know I love you; I know you love me_

_And this love will build  
Through fights and streets  
In the end I predict  
You'll get the very best of me  
So put your lips to my lips  
Why not go on and take all of it  
And run as fast as you can  
Just cause you can_

_I am dying to be read  
Softly spoken, simply said  
Tell me, do you believe  
In the man that is me?  
With his feet to your feet?  
Well, that's all that I need_

_Cause time will go, and we may be  
Far apart I know; but as far as I can see  
This is so good, there's no need for a change  
It's alright with me  
It's as simple as it should be  
Simple as it should be_


	19. Ficlet 18: One of the Best Things

Ficlet #18: One of the Best Things  
Prompt #12: Run Away

_A/N: Sometimes, the transition between friends and lovers isn't as as easy as we'd all like to think..._  


"And just for the record, Hiei, I wish you would have slept with me last night."

Hiei blinked at Kurama's sudden change of topic. "Huh?"

"I don't like sleeping alone. I like having someone to hold or someone holding me, and the fact that you ran away from me after we fought last night is pretty low."

"I wasn't exactly in the mood to have sex, fox."

"And if you'd tried to, I would have clocked you. I didn't say anything about sex. But one of the best things about having a lover is you don't have to sleep alone. Look, Hiei, we have to get one thing perfectly clear: I am not going to change our relationship as teammates because we're together now. I am not going to back down from you or try to accommodate you or change my fighting style _in any way,_ or try not to anger you any harder than I did before. If I yield to you during a mission it has to be because I think you're right, not because I'm afraid you won't sleep with me that night if I don't let you have your way! So it's completely up to you whether you're going to punish me in our relationship for what happens to us as teammates, but it won't make any difference in how I act. I just wish you would have slept with me last night."

With that Kurama turned his back and started pulling their campsite together--which was a relief, as he'd been talking angrily for about twenty minutes, outlining why he had put himself into harm's way in battle yesterday and then why it had been none of Hiei's business to react the way he had: first by throwing the flow of battle completely out of whack by pushing Kurama out of the way and taking everything on himself, and then by turning away from Kurama in anger that night. This was the first mission they had been on since becoming a couple, and even with the blessed absence of Yusuke and Kuwabara it was quickly turning into something that could only be termed a disaster.

Annoyed with the lecture, and annoyed with himself for having listened to it, Hiei flitted away and left Kurama to pack up by himself. He could sense Kurama's heavy sigh from thirty feet away. He shadowed Kurama to the site of their next battle, following him from the treetops, and did not appear by his side again until the fight became inevitable.

He did it again.

He put himself in danger, again, like he always did, using himself to draw out his enemy's weakness like his life was an expendable thing, a point that could be given away. He did it again, and afterwards he and Hiei had a knock-down, drag out screaming match in which neither of them made any sense at all. They were too busy trying to sort out their new feelings, and how the new feelings affected the old, to be making sense. The only thing out of the whole situation that pleased Hiei was that Kurama was having as hard a time with this transition as he was.

He left Kurama alone again after both fights, even though he knew it would only further exacerbate the fox's feelings. But he needed time to think and to understand, without Kurama's presence--one of the most annoying facets of their new relationship was that it was proving nearly impossible to think when Kurama was close. He finally returned when Kurama was getting ready to sleep, and silently lay down next to him. He could feel the surprise in Kurama's body when he wrapped his arms around him, gently pressing his front to Kurama's back and resting his head between Kurama's shoulders. "Are you mad at me?" Kurama queried.

"No--I'm fucking furious. But one of the best things about having a lover is that you don't have to sleep alone."

"You _like_ sleeping alone," Kurama pointed out.

"You don't. Go to sleep."

"...Thank you, Hiei."

"I never meant for you to think I was running away."

"Hiei..."

"Go to sleep, fox. This is getting mushier than I can handle."

Kurama went to sleep.


	20. Ficlet 19: Swimming Lessons

Ficlet#19: Swimming Lessons  
Prompt #27: Splash

_A/N: A short and silly one for you... furthermore, one that could have gotten away as a friendship fic, but the slash snuck in while my back was turned at the very end. You all know I can't help it, right? Right? _

Yusuke was actually surprised that Hiei had shown up at all. True, he was looking way to sullen for a casual summer pool party, and true, he was still wearing his traditional layers of sweltering black while most everyone else was in various stages of undress over their bathing suits--but he _had_ come.

Yusuke decided to attribute Hiei's presence to the machinations of the only other fully-clothed person present; after all, Kurama had a knack for making Hiei do things he resented. He was so good at it, in fact, that Yusuke sometimes wondered and worried that the same knack was used against him. The girls were all teasing Kurama for being unable to relax long enough to change into a pair of swimming trunks--though Yusuke noticed they all gave Hiei a wide berth. Kurama was pleasant in his replies, but Hiei, standing next to the chair Kurama was lounging in, was scowling so fiercely that it was casting a pall over the party.

Yusuke decided something needed to be done about that; and furthermore, not possessing the same fear of Hiei that kept the girls from teasing, decided that a thorough drenching would be just the way to lighten things up. So he casually positioned himself behind Hiei, and waited long enough for the observant Hiei to both notice his change in position and deem it unimportant. Then, when Hiei's attention was next elsewhere, Yusuke ran forward and gave him an enormous shove.

His timing couldn't have been more perfect. Kurama had just stood up to go inside, and Hiei, flailing his arms for balance, grabbed Kurama--and managed to drag him into the pool with him, creating an enormous splash that drenched several nearby partygoers.

Kurama surfaced spluttering and laughing, and with Hiei still wrapped around his neck. "I know that wasn't meant for me, Yusuke, but it still got us both, and I won't forget," he called to the laughing hyena on the patio, who was thrilled to have gotten two friends with one push. "Watch your back." Then he found himself forcing to concentrate on treading water instead of on banter, for Hiei was still clinging to him fiercely--if Kurama had had a lap at the moment, Hiei would have been sitting in it. "What's wrong, Hiei?" he asked, his voice no louder than was needed to reach the fire demon's ears.

In an equally quiet voice, Hiei confessed, "I don't know how to swim."

"Ah." For a moment Kurama looked like he was trying not to laugh, but he mastered the impulse. Understanding Hiei's need to save face, particularly in front of their teammates, he offered, "Well, why don't you pretend you're roughhousing with me and get behind me with your arms around my neck--I'll dive and swim over to the shallow end. Just hold your breath," he added as an afterthought.

Hiei quickly followed his instructions, and was a little awed at the grace with which the fox swam the length of the pool with an encumbrance hanging onto his back. When he surfaced he pushed Hiei away from him in pretend irritation, and he and Hiei slogged their way out of the pool, wet clothes dragging and tangling, with none of the observers were the wiser to what had actually happened. "Thanks, fox," Hiei muttered.

"Let me teach you sometime," Kurama replied, equally quietly. "I won't always be around to save you, you know." He smiled mischievously, knowing both how much such a comment would rankle and how unable Hiei was to do anything about it, in his current position of debt.

Hiei scowled for a moment, but then it gave way to a hint of his own mischievous smile. "Fine. But I'll have you know, I don't have one of those ridiculous get ups humans swim in."

"Not a problem. Not a problem at all."


	21. Ficlet 20: Sweet Dreams

_A/N: Two thirds of the way through!_

Ficlet #20: Sweet Dreams  
Prompt #15: Fait de beaux reves; sweet dreams 

"Kurama!!"

Kuwabara didn't have to do more than shout Kurama's name before Kurama was running up the stairs two at a time. Apparently, his voice had held the urgency he felt. Kuwabara glanced back over his shoulder, torn between going to help Urameshi or going to stand in front of the girls. The scene that met his glance was surreal: Botan and Keiko huddling in a corner, terrified, and Urameshi using every reflex he had to deflect Hiei, who had risen without a word from a sound sleep and started blindly attacking all and sundry. Kuwabara's first thought had been to get Hiei's katana away from him, but he knew he wasn't fast enough; and his second thought had been that something was very, very wrong for Hiei to be acting like this. So he had gone to the top of the stairs to yell for the person most likely to understand what was happening, who had chosen a very bad moment to go downstairs for a glass of water.

As soon as Kurama got to the door of Kuwabara's room and saw what was going on inside it, he commanded Yusuke to step back, in the urgent and decisive tone that Kuwabara had come to associate over the years with his imminent death if he didn't do exactly what Kurama said. Apparently Urameshi had formed the same response to it, because he drew back instantly. Kuwabara hadn't seen Kurama summon his rose whip, but the next second the very end of it had twitched the katana out of Hiei's grasp, flinging it into the corner. Hiei didn't move to retrieve it; he swung wildly at Kurama, and Kurama began blocking him hand to hand. "Stay back," he ordered again, when Urameshi started forward.

Urameshi looked frustrated, but Kuwabara had no problem complying. Something was definitely wrong. Disregarding the fact that it was not like Hiei to attack them in the first place, Hiei's fighting was all wrong--he and Kurama were fighting hand to hand, something neither of them did by preference, and Hiei's moves were incredibly sloppy and unskilled. It was quickly clear that Kurama was not trying to score a hit, or he could have done so without hesitation; he was trying to get Hiei in some kind of hold. Kurama seemed perfectly calm, but Kuwabara couldn't tell if that was because he was in control of the situation and knew what was going on, or if it was just because he was Kurama and composure was one of his deadliest weapons.

Either way, it took under two minutes for Kurama to capture Hiei and restrain him. He pulled Hiei's back to his own chest and captured Hiei's wrists, forcing him to still the wild swinging of his arms even as they both fell onto their knees. "Shhhhh." Despite the gentleness of Kurama's voice, Kuwabara could see the strength with which he was holding Hiei's arms. "You're just dreaming."

Hiei showed no response, continuing to twitch and struggle. Kuwabara looked at his face and realized for the first time that all three of Hiei's eyes were closed--had been closed, this entire time. Kurama continued to speak to him, firmly and gently. It struck Kuwabara as odd--somewhere between comical and not at all amusing--to see Hiei being soothed like that. Like he was a child having a nightmare. Kurama was certainly as patient and affectionate as any father with his child. "It's all right, Hiei. Trust me, it's okay. You're dreaming."

And then, to definitively tip the scale from comical to not, Hiei turned slightly inside the restraint, placed his head on Kurama's chest, and pressed into him. His eyes were still shut. Kurama released Hiei's wrists to wrap his arms around the small, shuddering body. "Trust me," he murmured again, quieter now, speaking into Hiei's hair. "It's okay."

Then Kurama suddenly looked up at them, blinking. _He completely forgot the rest of us existed. _"Is he--okay?" Urameshi asked, uncertainly.

Kurama nodded. "He's perfectly alright. Some people sleep-walk; Hiei sleep fights," he explained with a little shrug. "Not often, but it does happen. He always advises me to knock him out, but I find this more humane. I am sorry you had to deal with it."

All this spoken calmly and rationally while he held Hiei tightly against his chest, and with Hiei looking like a five year old, hiding his face. Asleep.

Kuwabara kicked Urameshi. "Let's leave them alone," he muttered."

"But--"

"Hiei's okay, and Kurama's totally on top of it anyway. Let's get the girls downstairs so they can calm down."

Urameshi shrugged, nodded, and went to take Keiko's hand and give Botan a little nudge to the door. Kuwabara paused for a minute before following them out the door, glancing over his shoulder. Kurama had forgotten their presence again, absorbed in the process of soothing Hiei into a more restful state of mind. Half a dozen thoughts flashed through Kuwabara's head: how Hiei would so indignant, probably furious, at such treatment if he was awake, but in his sleep he moved into it; how even sleepwalking turned into a battle when Hiei did it; how Kurama must have learned how to do this from Shiori, because it wasn't something a demon would naturally do; and how if that was the case, no one must have done this for Hiei, ever, until he met Kurama. But he still leaned into it.

Feeling that he had intruded onto something very, very private, Kuwabara did the only thing he could do to make it right and shut the door firmly before going downstairs to get the girls something to drink.


	22. Ficlet 21: Observations

Ficlet #21: Observations  
Prompt #6: Oxygen

_(really long) A/N: The final draft of this story wound up looking like it has nothing to do with the prompt... but c'mon people, love is like oxygen, right?:) While this story did indeed spring up from this prompt, the line that started it wound up being way too cheesy for me to put in Mukuro's mouth. Despite what the dubbers would have us think, she actually is cooler than that. I do seem to enjoy having her tell our boys what's what (see "Queens")... and this time, it's Kurama's turn for a talking-to._

Casually, she remarked, "You _do_ realize he's completely in love with you... don't you?"

Mukuro had the satisfaction of watching Kurama not only drop the bandage he was currently wrapping around Hiei's arm, but not notice it rolling away from him. "I beg your pardon?"

"I asked if you knew Hiei was in love with you," Mukuro repeated, as unconcerned as if she was asking if he knew what the weather was like outside. Kurama, utterly and completely blindsided, blinked at her a few times, and Mukuro narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed. I've heard great things about your intelligence, Kurama--I'd hate to find I was misinformed."

Kurama blinked a few more times, swallowed, and mustered a polite response. "I believe you are mistaken."

Mukuro sighed in annoyance. "So you are as oblivious as he believes you to be. I'm disappointed."

Kurama continued to stare at her blankly, not even aware that he was still holding Hiei's arm, poised to wrap the bandage that had rolled away. Mukuro supposed she hadn't been playing fair, springing an observation like that on someone she barely knew--and while Hiei was present, even if he was unconscious. She herself was perfectly convinced that Hiei was fine--though she admitted that the two of them, herself and Hiei, had been in a bit of a sticky situation and that she hadn't minded at all when Hiei's friends had shown up to help. Hiei had passed out shortly thereafter, as was his habit after difficult battles, confident that the rest of them could handle it. Mukuro found Kurama's obvious worry, when he surely knew as well as she did that this was typical, an indication that perhaps he harbored the same feelings that Hiei did. She was taking a risk, speaking openly like this, but over the years it had become obvious to her that Hiei would never pursue his own happiness. So she had decided to pursue it for him.

Of course, if she had erred--if Kurama recoiled, or even worse showed the capacity for cruelty--then she would have to gut him before he had a chance to misuse the information she was handing over to him. A shame, that.

Kurama finally recovered enough to say something intelligent. "What has lead you to believe this?"

Mukuro raised her eyebrows slightly. "I imagine I know Hiei better than anyone." She amused herself for a moment by watching Kurama's hackles rise, almost visibly, and how he sought to control himself. So he wanted to be the one who knew Hiei best; point one in his favor. "I've known for years."

"Did he tell you?"

"We've talked about it, yes," Mukuro replied, both truthfully and misleadingly. They had talked about it, but only after she had seen it in his mind: long before the Makai Tournament, when he had sunk to his lowest point and no longer cared what she knew, no longer cared if he lived. He had let her into the very depths of his soul, and there she had found love: love known to himself, but carefully concealed from all others, a love more desperate and complete than she had ever seen before.

The object of that love had raised his eyebrows slightly. "So he didn't tell you."

So, the careful fox would not be misled. "If you want to know how I know, I suggest you ask him when he wakes up. Of course he'll probably lie to you. I _would_ stop here to express a hope that you would read the truth from his expression, but as you've somehow remained oblivious thus far I'll have to forgo that hope."

She was definitely getting to him--if it turned out that Kurama was, indeed, also in love, then she would have to make baiting him part of her regular routine. It was simply too much fun to watch the fox, renowned for his ability to stay calm and impassive, bristling at her every sentence. His voice, when he next spoke, was even combative. "You wish me to believe you saw this inside his mind."

Point two for Kurama. "You know about that."

"More than you think I do." No doubt about it, he resented her. Mukuro had to work hard to keep from smiling.

They faced each other silently across the bed for a moment, Hiei lying like a corpse between them. Kurama was staring at Mukuro, and he had stopped letting his facial features give her any clue as to what he was thinking, a sign that he felt her to be an enemy. Mukuro debated on what to do--she could remain impassive, or she could take her own mask down for a moment and let him see that she genuinely cared if Hiei was happy or not. It was a risk, but so small compared to the way she was currently playing dice with Hiei's heart that she couldn't justify not taking it. _Besides, if this doesn't work out I'll probably have to kill him anyway, so it doesn't really matter._

So she softened her voice, and uncrossed her arms. "Kurama, what reason could I have to lie to you about this? What possible motive? How could I possibly gain from it?"

Reluctantly, Kurama replied, "I have been asking myself that, and I do not know the answer."

"Why would I tell you even if it's true, for that matter? I guess there's still a little hopeless romantic in me somewhere," she admitted in answer to her own question. "I think it's sweet. I've never seen somebody so thoroughly devoted to someone else, and it's ridiculous that you don't know. I mean, the way he watches over you makes Yukina look like a casual acquaintance."

There: a flicker of reaction. But he controlled it too quickly for her to identify it. She decided to pursue. "You didn't know he watches you? He knows where you are every second of every day. He could be there, too, in the blink of an eye. If you needed him. That's all he knows how to do; the only way he's ever related to someone he loves is to protect them."

She had gone far enough. Kurama was forced to turn his face to the side, to hide his reaction to her words, but he had forgotten the full range of vision her mechanical eye had, and she saw his expression. She knew from seeing it that the game was over. _I'm so glad I don't have to kill him... come to think of it, I'm not sure how I was planning to survive Hiei's finding out about that..._

"I don't believe we should discuss this." Mukuro marveled at what perfect control he had over his voice, even now.

"Believe what you want," she said with a shrug, as though it didn't matter, turning to leave. Time for her to make a graceful exit. "I just thought you should know that boy belongs to you, body and soul. It's up to you to decide what to do with him now that you have him, but you _do_ have him." Pleased to have the last word, she left the room at that and went to make plans for what she had a feeling was going to be a rather long absence on the part of her general.

After she had been gone for a few moments Kurama realized he was still holding Hiei's arm, and slowly lowered it. He watched Hiei sleeping for a moment, his expression unreadable; then he got up and silently retrieved the bandage that had rolled away earlier, and finished wrapping Hiei's arm. It was a task that he had done a thousand times and knew by rote, and he didn't even look at what he was doing; his eyes were on Hiei's face. When he finished he hesitated for a moment; then he lay down on the bed behind Hiei, and wrapped his arms around him, and held onto him as tightly as though he was never planning on letting go.


	23. Ficlet 22: Natural Habitat

_A/N: Well, I'm not sure I'm really happy with this one, but I feel like if I stare at it any longer my brain will dissolve and leak out my ears. At any rate, enjoy Hiei-in-denial for a bit. _

Ficlet #22: Natural Habitat  
Prompt #19: Aurora Borealis; Northern Lights

Kurama was laughing, like he hadn't a care in the world. He was beautiful, in his unconcern; he didn't even seem bothered by the cold, he was so warmly bundled up in those coats and boots and things that humans wore. His companion was bundled up and laughing as well as they ran through the snow together, taking turns pretending they knew where they were going. Kurama's smile spoke of delight--in his companion, maybe, or in the frozen yet beautiful landscape around them, or just in anticipation of the lights they had come to see.

Hiei was trying very hard to be unaware of all of this; the laughter, the smiles, the protection from the cold that Kurama would not have needed had Hiei been with him. He hadn't come here, after all, to watch Kurama; technically, he wasn't here at all. He couldn't help it if the fox and the ningen he was with had chosen this particular field to go gallivanting about in.

Hiei had flatly refused when he had been invited to go along on the group's northern vacation, and learning that various ningen acquaintances of theirs were tagging along had only strengthened his resolve. But when the actual time had come he had found himself utterly bored, and so he had tracked Kurama's scent--only because it was the most familiar and easiest to track--until he caught up with them. He was glad he had come; the frozen fields and tall stark trees reminded him of the days he would track Yukina through the glacial island, one of the few times in his life he had felt content. But he had no desire for company and had not informed anyone he was there; he was even going to pains to conceal it, masking his energy the second he noticed Kurama and the ningen so that Kurama wouldn't detect his presence. Hiei had had no way of knowing Kurama would be out; he just happened to be here.

The same way Kurama just happened to come to a stop underneath the exact tree Hiei was sitting in. Hiei knew instantly he'd been discovered, but he still remained frozen for the sake of the ningen. It gave him a chance to further develop his dislike of the boy. He was a close friend of Shizuru's, apparently, which was what had brought him on this trip in the first place; he had quite obviously become enamored of Kurama and was currently eagerly displaying his knowledge of the local flora and fauna, while Kurama smiled and struggled not to reveal how much more he himself already knew.

What an utter waste of time. Hiei knew he would never understand why Kurama put up with people falling all over him like that, much less how he found enjoyment in their company. Hiei himself had no taste for company, and never had; he was most at home in a place like this, solitary and frozen, a clear expanse of unbroken snow with many trees in which to take shelter. That was what brought him peace. He didn't want anyone's laughter or irritating knowledge of plants in _his_ ear, like the boy was doing to Kurama; as a matter of fact, he had no intention of changing to accommodate anyone. This was his natural habitat, and if everyone else would just get the hell out, he would be fine.

Half his wish came true. The ningen gestured back the way they had come, clearly shivering; Kurama shook his head. Hiei's gift was sight, not hearing, so though he tried he couldn't understand the ensuing conversation. It seemed amicable, though, and Kurama allowed the ningen to hug him for far longer than Hiei would have guessed he would let a new acquaintance touch him before the boy ran off, tracing their footsteps back.

Kurama watched till he was nearly out of sight; then he turned and looked up, his eyes already set to meet Hiei's. He knew exactly where Hiei was. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Kurama silently arched an eyebrow. They stood without speaking for a moment, acknowledging each other's presence; acknowledging, too, that Hiei had tracked Kurama halfway around the world, and that Kurama had deliberately sent the boy away. Then, Kurama called to him softly. "Come down."

"Come up," Hiei replied.

He hadn't really expected Kurama to take his invitation, knowing Kurama didn't possess the same ability to jump thirty feet in one bound that Hiei did; he hadn't reckoned on the tree itself being accommodating should Kurama choose to climb it. Nevertheless, when Kurama reached him he moved forward to allow Kurama to sit on the same branch--it was, after all, the only branch this high up that was really fit to hold their weight. So it was natural for them both to sit on it, natural for Hiei to lean back against Kurama slightly--just for the sake of comfort, of course.

When the lights began to grace the sky, Kurama persuaded the tree to part its branches slightly so they could see better. They watched in silence. Hiei reflected on the warm location the others would all be watching from, and how they would be talking and exclaiming to each other. But Kurama had chosen to come out here, to the cold and silence Hiei preferred--and the remarkable thing about that was not that Kurama had come, but rather that he fit into Hiei's habitat so well, with so little effort, that Hiei could almost believe he had been there all along.

And when Kurama wrapped his arms loosely around Hiei's waist, and angled his chin to rest on Hiei's shoulder--well, that, too, was natural, and as though it had always been.


	24. Ficlet 23: Candlelight

_A/N: This fic makes a reference or two to "Two Shot," but it should be easily understandable if you haven't read that. I was coming up blank on this prompt for the longest time, and then suddenly the whole thing arrived intact; love it when they write themselves! Enjoy._

Ficlet #23: Candlelight  
Prompt #23: Candlelight

Candlelight softens things.

And things needed softening. The cold calculation of the youko thief; the fierce independence of the unwanted child. Such traits were destined to clash, and clash terribly. How could anything good grow between them?

With a hesitation, a faltering; a realization you were mistaken. A moment of compassion, born from you know not where. Curiosity; recognition. I know you, without knowing you.

Candlelight softened things. In candlelight, Kurama's hair was not the color of blood; instead, it took on the shimmering qualities of a heart fire. Hiei's eyes, also, were no longer the color of blood and violence; they glinted like half-concealed treasures. In candlelight, each could pretend they didn't notice the other's tensed muscles, alert perceptions, the readiness to fight or to flee. The camouflage of candlelight was all they could offer each other in that regard; there was no taking down the defenses that had been so dearly bought. But at least when the barrier between light and dark was blurred, it was easier to see the light in each other, and harder to find the dark.

Trust--such a difficult subject between them. If it had been a limb, an arm or a leg that had been broken so many times, neither of them would have relied on it, never put their weight against it in battle. Yet they trusted each other in battle, pitting their lives against that trust without thought.

Of course, trusting each other in _battle _was the easy part.

The initial decision to trust--so arbitrary. The only justification: that sense of recognition, the realization that _something_ is here. Reaching out is dangerous, dangerous beyond all comprehension; it is done cautiously, and slowly. The taking of advice; the giving of a name. The offer of a job; the offer of a place to sleep. Starting to fear the other, because you realize how powerful he really is, and at the same time ceasing to fear, because you realize he will not hurt you. Logical understanding, based on experience, building up over that initial instinctive knowledge, so much so that you forget that the first layer is there--except when he is asleep, and you are not, because then sometimes you watch him, and remember.

Sometimes they hate each other. That is inevitable. Sometimes they hate each other for all the times the trust has been broken, both ways, between them. Sometimes they hate each other for being there, or for not being there. Sometimes they hate each other for being different, for not doing what they themselves would have done. But more often than not they hate each other for being the same, and it's merely a projection of what each feels about himself. It's so much easier to hate someone else.

It's so much easier to love someone else, too, and that's where the complication arises. Because each of their lives is too stark, too focused, too filled with battles to ever include love. Each of them is too careful, too intelligent, too reserved. Something's got to give, and neither of them is going to.

Except… in candlelight, it's slightly different. In candlelight the sharp lines delineating where one of them stops and the other begins are softened and blurred; and it doesn't have to be a battle as long as they can agree that it's okay to take the time to be together, just to sit together at a candlelit table. In the jumping shadows neither of their faces are entirely readable, and it means that neither of those faces are set in masks. Here, when they touch each other, the strong grasp of comrades, fighting partners, can soften and become something almost an embrace, not quite but so very nearly a touch made in love.

But eventually the candles will burn themselves out, and they will be as they have ever been--alone, together, in darkness.


	25. Ficlet 24: Mercy

Ficlet #24: Mercy  
Prompt #13: Euthanasia

It was cold, but not cold enough to justify the way Kurama had his arms wrapped around his torso, hugging himself tightly. Hiei noticed his action, but declined to comment--he probably needed the hug.

Kurama was in a mood that Hiei couldn't interpret, something that for all its rareness he disliked in the extreme. It was an easy guess that Kurama was troubled, and Hiei didn't like that either--the Youko would not have so much as blinked at what they'd just done. Kurama, however, was in some kind of turmoil Hiei could neither understand nor cure.

Hiei didn't try to fill up the quiet between them with words; if Kurama wanted to talk, he would do so without prompting, and if he wanted silence, Hiei was glad to give it to him. There was nothing really to be said about what they had just done, anyway. And it had been Kurama who had stepped forward to do it.

Hiei supposed that if there had been an error on his part, it had been that. He should have known what Kurama was getting ready to do, and been quicker at it. After all, it wasn't any concern of Hiei's if some irritating ex-pupil of Genkai's was dead. If anything, he still held a bit of a grudge towards the arrogant human over the whole lost-soul incident--Hiei was unable, even now, to admit said incident had been entirely his own fault. Maybe that was the reason he had been slow to step forward: if he was the one to do it, there would be anger in the stroke of his blade. And anger had no place in this.

According to Kurama, Kaitou had always had a knack for biting off more than he could chew; he became focused on the end result and forgot he didn't have the skill required to get there, which was the definition of arrogance if Hiei had ever heard it. Just because the barrier between human and demon worlds was down didn't make it a good idea to go exploring, on the wrong side, by yourself. By the time they'd caught up with him--Hiei acting in his capacity as a border guard, and Kurama following from personal interest--it had been far too late to do anything but end the pain.

With another glance at Kurama, Hiei decided that yes, he should have done it himself. And would have, if he had realized Kurama was going to do it so quickly. He shouldn't have let his own moral quibble--that he was angry, and so it would technically be murder instead of mercy--delay him so much that Kurama took the burden on himself. Because it was such a heaver burden on Kurama than it ever would have been to Hiei; to Hiei, it was a routine action, taking pity on someone who hadn't really earned all the pain he was in (even if he had been stupid). But to Kurama, it was a human, a classmate, not a friend but nevertheless someone he knew well. To Kurama, it was personal.

And Hiei should not be angry with him now, for suffering, for it being such a burden in the first place. But he was.

So they walked in silence, Hiei holding his tongue from anger and trying to convince himself it was concern or respect. _Damned fox. Why does he get himself into these situations? He knows I would have done it._

"Hiei."

Sometimes Hiei wondered if Kurama had a little bit of the telepath in him as well; his timing was frequently uncanny, and Hiei fully expected a reprimand for his line of thought. So Kurama's next words, after Hiei had given him a look to indicate he was listening, were a shock. "If I ever need that, you will do it for me."

His tone was not a question; not even the faintest trace of inquiry to what he had said, just an observation. Hiei's reaction was violent, and adamant. "I will not!"

Kurama looked blindsided. On one level that was good, because it pulled him from his brooding, but nonetheless Hiei knew at once they were shaping up for a fight. "Why not?"

"You won't ever be in that position."

"You can't know that."

"You are a superior fighter, and a powerful demon. You won't be hurt like that."

"Hiei, I _was_ hurt like that, remember? If I hadn't been, I wouldn't have this body. You've been near death a time or ten yourself, so don't pretend it doesn't happen. What's to say it won't be fatal one of these days?"

"It won't," Hiei growled, silently adding, _Drop the subject, Kurama. Now._

If Kurama really could sense Hiei's line of thought, he didn't heed it. "You aren't being rational."

"Hn."

"If I should need--that service--I want you to be the one to it."

"Why, because you think it won't bother me afterwards?"

Kurama didn't answer. _So--that _is_ what he thinks._ Hiei gritted his teeth and spoke casually. "Perhaps it won't. But I still refuse to make plans for an eventuality I don't believe will ever exist.

"If it's never going to happen, what's the harm in promising me?"

"It's a lie."

Kurama didn't respond to Hiei's flat declaration. There was silence for a moment. The night was growing colder, but Kurama was no longer hugging himself; Hiei could feel the anger pouring from him in waves. _At least he's not thinking about what he did anymore; I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies._

"I know how much it would bother you," Kurama finally said. His voice was quiet, but still angry, and he did not look at Hiei as he spoke. "It's not that I think it won't; I know you place a higher estimation on my ability to keep myself alive than anyone I know. I'm not asking because I think it would be easy on you, I'm asking because I trust you."

Hiei matched his anger. "You're asking because you're always on the lookout for a way to die. As long as I've known you you've been borderline suicidal. You jump in the way of harm heading towards anyone you happen to be standing next to."

"That's because I generally stand next to people I love. You're not old enough to understand."

Hiei would have laughed had anyone else said that to him, but from Kurama it stung. "You propose that I'm too young to love?"

"Too young to know how terrible it feels to watch someone you love die for your sake. I'd rather do the dying myself."

"And inflict that feeling you say is so terrible on everyone else. How selfish."

"I'm not asking for your understanding. I'm asking for your promise."

"You know I don't take requests. Kill yourself if you want to."

"What if I can't?" Kurama had been avoiding Hiei's gaze, but now he looked at him piercingly. "What if my body becomes a prison to me, and I can't move, can't speak, can't think of anything but the pain? What if I'm ready to go but unable to, because my body is an animal's and can't accept that it's time to die? Will you help me move?"

"I can't make that decision--"

"Of course you can. I've seen you do it a dozen times. You're a fighter; you know when the body is too injured to be anything but a cage. You know how to help someone cross into death. So don't pretend you're refusing on any moral grounds."

"I can't," Hiei ground out.

"I've been _with_ you when you--"

"I'm not saying I don't know how to do it. I just can't promise you I will. Not you."

"Are you saying I'm unworthy?"

"I won't do it for you."

Kurama's voice was clipped. "Nice to know where we stand." He began walking quicker, making use of his long legs so he would no longer have to stand next to Hiei, his arms wrapped tightly around himself again.

Hiei suppressed a growl of frustration. "Fox." He hated Kurama for making him call after him. "Fox, just because you're upset, don't use it as an excuse to be asinine. You're refusing to understand me."

"You're not being understandable," Kurama replied without turning back.

"If you would get off your high horse and listen for a minute--"

"So you can tell me more about how you'd refuse to help me if I needed it? I would do this for you, Hiei."

"More power to you," Hiei replied curtly. "You're stronger; are you happy? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"I don't--"

"_Don't_ tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I may not have experienced it, but I've seen it. I've seen people mourn their fallen comrades for centuries and never once forget their own blame in their deaths. I've seen parents dying for children and children for parents and lovers for beloveds and I haven't understood. I've even seen people who know better, people like you who know when the body is too injured--or sick--" he added pointedly, "to ever get better--I've seen them deny that knowledge, go looking for obscure and dangerous cures, lie to their friends and partners, willingly sacrifice their own lives because they couldn't admit, couldn't accept, that the person they loved was ready to die. I believe everything you said about giving mercy, Kurama. But I will never, ever be able to give it to you."

In the ensuing silence between them, a light snow began to fall, as if to accentuate how cold it was and how far away from each other's body heat they stood. Kurama regarded Hiei with an expression Hiei could not read--he almost appeared hurt, but there was no edge of injury to it. Just the sorrow; and other things, unreadable. Hiei felt naked.

The Kurama dropped his eyes, and nodded once--a short ant-climax after all they'd just fought about, but it was all the acceptance Hiei needed. He moved forward, and Kurama waited for Hiei to catch up to him before falling in step. Without speaking, Hiei warmed the air around them slightly; also without speaking, Kurama dropped his arms from their defensive posture, and for just half a moment his hand touched Hiei's before they continued on, silently, through the gathering snow.

_A/N: You know it's going to be a difficult story when the prompt is euthanasia; I spent a lot of time wondering how to write this. I suppose I could have side-stepped and interpreted this less literally, but the subject was on my mind because earlier this year, there was a virtual epidemic amongst my friends and loved ones of having to make the decision to let go of a pet who was suffering. Because it was thinking about that which caused me to write this story the way I did, I wanted to dedicate it to Murphy, Spunky, Solace, and Trixie, who are all sorely missed.  
_


	26. Ficlet 25: A Petulant Pillow

_A/N: What's that you say? You need a silly one after that last one? What a coincidence; me too. This is a scene taken from another plot bunny, so please bear with the excess of exposition._

Ficlet #25: A Petulant Pillow  
Prompt #4: Teddy bear

"Stop. Laughing."

The words were hissed out at a barely audible level, but Hiei's glare spoke volumes--as a matter of fact, his glare was so intense that a spot on the wall next to Yusuke's head had already caught fire, and Yusuke'd had to smother it as quietly as he could, muffling his laughter in his sleeve the whole time. He knew the only reason Hiei had refrained from actually setting his hair on fire was the same reason Hiei was whispering--he wasn't willing to wake the others up. And that put Yusuke at a distinct advantage.

But in order to take full advantage of all the opportunities for harassment the situation provided, Yusuke would have to stop laughing. And he wasn't sure he could manage that.

The only reason he had come back inside in the first place was to make sure the lack of noise didn't mean that Hiei and Kurama had killed each other. Their last mission had been a very trying one, with kidnappings and separations and emotions running high; and somehow, even though Kurama had spent the majority of his time protecting Yukina--was a bloody wreck, in fact, from protecting her--Hiei had wound up monumentally pissed off at him. Maybe it had something to do with Yukina's having found out in the course of the whole muddle exactly who Hiei was, but that hadn't been Kurama's fault. Yusuke had tried to elaborate on this point, but had found himself summarily evicted from the small abandoned cabin they were resting in--everyone had been evicted, except for Hiei and Kurama and Yukina who couldn't be detached from Hiei's arm, so that Hiei and Kurama could duke it out.

Yusuke had expected Kurama to come out in a few minutes and invite them all back in, but instead there had been a brief explosion of incomprehensible yelling, and then a long, long silence. Neither of these things was in character. Yusuke had never seen Hiei and Kurama lose so much control as to yell at one another, and he also knew that when they fought they made a point of resolving it quickly. When he checked his watch and realized it had been over an hour, he decided to risk their wrath by poking his head in.

He had already thought that Hiei's restraint with the dealing the fact that Yukina refused to stop clutching his arm was remarkable--but now it was even better. Yukina, apparently exhausted from the ordeal, had fallen asleep still attached to him. Hiei was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, and Yukina was out cold with her head on his shoulder and her body cuddled up to him like some sort of oversized teddy bear. As if this wasn't enough material to torment Hiei with for the rest of his life, the absence of shouting was apparently due to Kurama's also having succumbed to exhaustion--he, too, was making himself comfortable at Hiei's expense. His head was resting on Hiei's lap, and both his arms were threaded through Hiei's right arm. Hiei was completely incapable of movement without waking one or both of them.

Worthy of laughter, certainly. But the best part about it, the part that had sent Yusuke into silent hysterics, was Hiei's expression--the sheer bewilderment, laced with a little panic, as he looked back and forth between the two as if not quite sure how either had gotten there and definitely unsure what to do with them. There was practically a visible speech bubble hanging over his head with "Help?" written in it. That was, until Yusuke had started laughing--then it had vanished to be replaced with the usual You-Will-Die glare.

"Having some quality family time?" Yusuke finally snickered through the laughter.

"They fell asleep," Hiei growled quietly, as though wanting to disclaim all responsibility for their having done so.

"And it's so sweet of you to be their pillow."

"If you ever refer to me as sweet again I--"

"Careful, Hiei. They need their rest."

"You--just--" Yusuke grinned, thoroughly amused by Hiei's fast and furious battle between the need to let Yukina and Kurama sleep and the need to flay Yusuke alive. "Not a word to the oaf. Not one word."

"My lips are sealed."


	27. Ficlet 26: Liability

_A/N: I can't remember when I could do a ficlet for this collection in three paragraphs--the ideas are getting longer and longer! Anyway, I had a more serious idea set up for this prompt, but it didn't want to get written and this did. Major thanks to Madhumalati, who allowed me to make use of an idea from her collection "26 connections," which can be found on this site and which I highly recommend._

Ficlet #26: Liability  
Prompt #18: the wrong words

Nobody but Kurama noticed when Yusuke blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked hard at the window. Of course, Kurama and Yusuke were probably the only two sober people in the room--the party they were currently having in Yusuke's apartment may have been impromptu but it was quickly growing boisterous, and while Yusuke avoided drinking himself he was not shy about sharing his mother's alcohol stash with their friends. His intense interest in the window, though, had Kurama wondering if maybe he had a little mystery punch--until he spoke. "Is that... Hiei?"

Kurama's head whipped around to follow Yusuke's gaze. Hiei was indeed crouched on the windowsill, tapping gently on the glass and wearing a reproachful expression. _He followed me to someone else's window? Strange._

Kurama got up and quickly moved past Yusuke, who still seemed to be doubting his eyes, to undo the latch and throw the window open. "Come to join the party?"

He had meant to tease Hiei and expected a scowl in return, but Hiei didn't react. He simply sat there looking irritated, not even shifting his gaze to Kurama's face. Then, without his expression changing much, his eyes closed and he began to list to one side.

"...Ah." Kurama quickly put a hand out to stop Hiei from falling, and Hiei responded by placing his arms around Kurama's shoulders, for all the world like someone who'd had a bad day and needed a hug. Only, Hiei was in the process of passing out. Kurama moved forward slightly and put his arms lightly around Hiei's waist to steady him. And that was that; Hiei's head dropped like a stone onto Kurama's shoulder, and he was out cold. "Oh dear," Kurama sighed.

Yusuke gave him an odd look, obviously not realizing Hiei was unconscious and just as obviously wondering about the amused resignation with which Kurama spoke. But Kurama had been through this routine with Hiei a thousand times--the only difference was that this time Hiei'd had to track him down to someone else's window before passing out. No wonder he had looked so cross.

Kurama pondered if there was a way to get Hiei out of the window and somewhere he could rest without drawing attention to his condition. Since Hiei was already leaning heavily against him, it only took a little maneuvering to balance the petite demon on one hip and wrap arms around his waist to hold him. Yusuke's eyes widened. "He's alright," Kurama said quickly. "He just needs to rest a bit."

But forestalling Yusuke proved irrelevant--the other partygoers had noticed the spectacle of Hiei being held like a child, and questions were raining down. Kurama grimaced--maybe it would have caused less of a commotion to throw Hiei over his shoulder. "He's alright," he repeated to the room at general, carrying Hiei to the couch, which was quickly cleared off for them. "He's just sleeping. There's no need to worry, he gets into quite a few fights. He just needs rest to recover afterwards." _And maybe some healing plants--_but Kurama wasn't going to say so in front of so many concerned onlookers.

"If all he needs is to sleep why's he here? Hiei never comes to my window," Yusuke said, watching Kurama hard as though he suspected what Kurama did--that Hiei was injured as well as exhausted.

"I imagine he knew he'd be unconscious for awhile and wanted to be sure of his safety," Kurama replied with another sigh. As quickly and unobtrusively as he could, he ran his hands over Hiei's body to check for injury. There; the left side of his abdomen, fairly deep. _Stupid demon. Wonder who he was fighting with this time._ There had been no air of fury or dissatisfaction to Hiei, so he had been the victor. Nonetheless, he needed healing.

Kurama took another glance at the worried faces circling them and decided to use his energy to heal Hiei instead of his plants--it was more draining to do it directly, but this way he wouldn't need to remove Hiei's cloak so no one could panic at the sight of the wound. None of them understood that injuries like this were a weekly occurrence for Hiei; his ability to get into trouble was truly unrivaled in Kurama's experience. He was quiet used to the little demon showing up in various stages of death and collapsing, fully expecting Kurama to take care of it.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Botan asked anxiously.

"Positive. Please, do not worry," Kurama stressed again. "He does this frequently. He's fine."

As if to emphasize Kurama's point, Hiei stirred. He then took a few swipes at an imaginary enemy, and Kurama grabbed his wrist to sill him. "Fox," Hiei said.

"Hey, three eyes, you alright?" Yusuke asked, trying to look unconcerned and not even coming close to managing it.

"Kill him," Hiei told Kurama calmly.

Kurama could barely contain his laughter at the look of shock and affront on Yusuke's face. "He's still asleep," Kurama told him. "Trust me--he talks more when he's sleeping than when he's awake. Incessantly, at times. Usually he's going over old conflicts and battles in his mind--I suppose he doesn't like to waste time sleeping when he could be fighting."

Hiei twisted slightly on the couch. "Kill him," he repeated. "Kurama, let me kill him. Don't try to stop me."

Kurama smiled innocently at the dumbfounded faces and released Hiei's wrist. "I'd suggest everyone stay out of range."

Everyone immediately backed away a few feet. Kurama got up to see if he could unobtrusively retrieve a seed from his coat pocket--with everyone keeping their distance, he might be able to use a plant without anyone noticing. "That's right," Hiei said encouragingly from the couch, apparently pleased to have regained his freedom. Kurama had to work hard to suppress his laughter again--but Hiei's next, feverish words wiped the smile off his face. "I've got a better idea. Tell Koenma I don't know yet. He actually thinks you work for him. If he believes you it buys time for me to get to that Tarukane bastard before Yusuke and kill him. You can make it work."

Koenma, who had been carefully sampling the punch, spit it out and coughed and choked so hard Kurama entertained a fleeting hope he might have a heart attack--but no such luck. "Kurama!" Koenma demanded, quite red in the face. "Is what Hiei's saying accurate?"

"Of course not," Kurama demurred. "Just wishful thinking, what he would have liked to have really happened--"

Yusuke started laughing. Whether it was at Koenma's expression or Kurama's was anyone's guess. "You think this is funny?" Kurama muttered, glaring at him.

"I think it's hilarious," Yusuke replied with an unrepentant grin. "Hey, Hiei, keep talking."

Kurama fingered the seed--it could, as a matter of fact, be used to murder Yusuke as easily as to heal Hiei. Just a slight difference in the manipulation--he might even do it accidentally if he became distracted.

"Kurama!" Kurama jerked his gaze back to Koenma, still furious and clearly inclined not to believe Kurama. "If I thought for one second that you had been playing both sides--"

"What sides?" Kurama cut him off, his tone a little cool. "Hiei was your employee at the time, yes?" With the part of his mind not occupied spinning justifications, Kurama could hear Yusuke eagerly goading Hiei on, talking to him about battles they'd both been in. He would definitely have to pay for his enjoyment of this situation. "As a matter of fact, we were both your employees at the time. And of course you were taking every care and consideration for your team's health and happiness, yes? So there really weren't two sides to play."

"Well--I--you--"

"WHAT?" Yusuke roared.

Kurama was going to get whiplash if this kept up--he turned his face quickly to the couch again, where Yusuke was staring at Hiei in shock. "Say _what?_"

"Hiei--" Kurama said urgently, not sure what they were "conversing" about but knowing it couldn't be good.

But unfortunately, that was just the prompt Hiei needed to keep going. "Don't even think about it," Hiei said, not threatening but encouraging, turning his face towards the sound of Kurama's voice. "I know you have the power to heal him, but keep saying you can't. He'll die soon enough if you keep refusing. He just killed Yusuke, we can't risk a repeat performance. Tell the boy you used your energy up. He'll never know."

_"_Is he saying," Yusuke began darkly, his voice getting louder with each word, "that you had the ability to heal Sensui AND YOU DIDNT?!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kurama replied, starting to sweat. "I can't control how Hiei misinterprets my actions."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hiei said, parrot-like, from the couch. "Quit being such a pansy, Kurama. Just because you have that stupid crush on--"

A few people squealed as they were knocked aside by Kurama diving for the couch. He managed to get his hand over Hiei's mouth at the critical moment--Hiei offered a few muffled protests, and then subsided.

"I'm taking him home," Kurama announced firmly, before anyone could say anything. "It's too noisy here for him to recover." And slinging Hiei over his shoulder with so much force that it knocked Hiei's teeth together, the fox fled the scene.

There was silence for a moment after his escape. Then several people started talking at once.

"I can't believe he was lying to me," Koenma said furiously.

"I can't believe he was lying to _me_," Yusuke countered. "You I can believe."

"I wonder who he has a crush on?" Botan pondered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

But Kuwabara only laughed. "Man--I can't wait until the next time I see Hiei. I'm gonna punch his lights out and then I'll make him tell me everything he knows!"


	28. Ficlet 27: Long Nights

Ficlet #27: Long Nights  
Prompt #20: Broken Dreams

_A/N: This may need a little explanation--the prompt made me think, not of broken hopes or aspirations, but of the literal inability to dream, or to even sleep. Oh, and yes--everything I describe here is physically possible. :)_

"Why do we always wind up here?" Hiei wondered aloud.

Kurama shrugged. "There's really not anywhere else to go."

Those were the first words that had been spoken since Kurama had felt Hiei's energy hovering at the edge of his perception, more than an hour ago. There had been no need to speak when Kurama had left his house shortly thereafter; no need to speak when Hiei had materialized next to him and fallen into step without glancing at him. They knew each other better than that.

They had, as ever, wound up at the park. They had taken their time getting there, but eventually this was where their feet always took them if not given other directions. Kurama seemed to enjoy it there--for obvious reasons, the trees were so loud and chatty even Hiei could hear them--and Hiei didn't really have any alternate suggestions.

So here they were. Silence, comfortable and lazy, quickly recaptured them after the brief exchange. They walked slowly through the park, so slowly their pace could barely be dignified with the title of walking. They didn't have any goal in mind, after all--nothing but the passage of time. Kurama's presence was not even necessary--but it was appreciated.

Appreciated to the extent that when Kurama directed Hiei--not with words, but a hand on his arm--towards the things ningen children played on, Hiei allowed it. Kurama guided him onto one of the moving seats hanging from poles, and began gently pushing him back and forth on it. Hiei considered jumping off, as he had a vague suspicion this was undignified, but he couldn't find the energy. He let it go on for a long moment before he spoke. "What is the purpose of this?"

He sensed Kurama's shrug, even if he couldn't see it. "I'm not really sure. Some people enjoy it."

"It's boring."

"I know." A moment longer, and then Kurama moved to the seat next to Hiei's and sat down, moving it gently back and forth. Hiei's interest was immediately piqued. He waited, for the sake of entertainment value, for Kurama to get a good momentum going before launching an attack on his seat.

Kurama managed to avoid being toppled to the ground, and laughed as he launched a vicious counter-assault. The battle was brief (due partly to limited space, and partly to Hiei's exhaustion), but it was spirited. When they came to a pause, they found themselves facing each other, each of their feet having scant purpose on the still-moving seat, and neither quite willing to continue the skirmish although the enemy was in reach. "Want to sit down?" Kurama queried.

"How?"

"You sit on my lap, facing me. It's called spider swinging."

"I'll take a pass."

"Tough." Kurama abruptly took his feet away from the seat; Hiei was forced to react quickly, or fall. And the next thing he knew, they were sitting exactly as Kurama had described. He wondered how the fox had managed to manipulate that one.

He gave Kurama a stern look, eyebrows raised. "This is rather sexual." Between the way they were sitting, and the movements Kurama made to keep the seat in motion--

"So it is." Kurama did not look even remotely apologetic--in fact, he was dangerously close to smirking.

"You did that on purpose."

"Did I?"

"Stupid fox."

"You do realize I consider that statement a gesture of affection."

"You're impossible."

"That one, too."

Hiei glared, and stopped talking. Kurama only smiled again. Hiei glanced down, checking the distance from the ground; finding it sufficient, he locked his ankles behind Kurama, gave him an impertinent grin, and fell over backwards.

It was much more comfortable than he had expected--quite comfortable, in fact. Kurama's legs solidly supported his torso, and the wind ruffling through his hair felt nice. So when Kurama offered no objection, merely shifted his motion to avoid kicking Hiei in the head, Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, relaxing.

It was nearly a half-hour later before Hiei opened his eyes and suddenly disentangled himself, jumping to the ground in an acrobatic maneuver that would have astonished any ningen present. Kurama followed him a heartbeat later, and looked at him inquiringly. Hiei flickered away, some fifteen feet, and then looked back over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow.

Kurama did not move; a smile was forming. "Are you trying to get me to chase you?"

Hiei did not smile, but there was something in his expression that suggested he might have done so if he hadn't been Hiei. "Hn."

Kurama walked toward him, making no effort at speed or stealth. "I can't imagine it will be very entertaining for you. The only way I could catch you is if you let me."

Hiei did not attempt further escape. "Better than playing with ningen children's toys."

"But they are soothing. Did you actually fall asleep, or were you just resting?"

"I slept. Only ten minutes or so, but it's the first sleep I've had in a week."

Kurama sighed and smiled, shaking his head. "Some people need the gentle motion of a cradle or rocking chair to lull them to sleep. Hiei needs to hang upside down by his ankles while his head swings in a wide arc inches from the ground."

"It's so obvious I don't know why we didn't think of it earlier."

Kurama laughed--which was the effect most of Hiei's deadpan was intended to produce--and wrapped one arm around Hiei's shoulders, the closet thing to a hug that Hiei generally tolerated. But tonight, still exhausted, Hiei turned and settled into a genuine hug, looping his arms around Kurama's waist and leaning against him. Kurama responded in kind with his arms around Hiei's shoulders, amused at how the smaller demon's body weight was gradually transferring to him. "Well, if you'd like to try for some deeper sleep, I think I have a bungee chord we could suspend you upside down from a bridge with."

No answer. Kurama looked down; he blinked twice, and then he sighed. Hiei was asleep again, his head heavy against Kurama's chest. "Or, apparently, I could stay in physical contact with you until you've caught up on your sleep, because that seems to be the only thread tying together the sleep you've had since this started. If I'd known this was the cure I would have tackled you a week ago."

Hiei's answer was a light snore. Kurama sighed again, wondering if there was any way he could shift into a sitting position without waking Hiei from his hard-won sleep.

If not, it was going to be a very, very, very long night.


	29. Ficlet 28: Sensuality

_A/N: Okay, so a normal person would not jump straight to chakras when given a prompt concerning color. I didn't either; I couldn't come up with something else. We're getting down to the end here, so there are the prompts that didn't come with an easy idea. _

Ficlet #28: Sensuality  
Prompt #17: Orange; color

To Hiei, it meant sensuality.

He was aware that he wasn't the only one who could see the swirling, colored centers of energy in the body; his Jagan allowed him to see them clearly and easily, but even some humans with only the most basic of training could see them. Everyone saw the same set of colors, but there was some debate as to what each color meant. Blue could mean communication or creativeness; yellow could mean confidence or intelligence. Small differences, but vital when you were a demon trying to zone in your enemy's strengths and weaknesses, understand how he operated based on which colors were vibrating, and which ones were stagnant and dull. Fortunately for Hiei, he didn't give a damn what anyone else thought; he'd developed his own system of interpreting through trial and error, and needed nothing else to confirm his views.

The colors dominating most people's lives would change over days and weeks and years, depending on what was happening to them, but every fighter Hiei had ever met had only one color in which they fought. For Yusuke, it was green--fighting from the heart, caring so damned much that he reached new levels of power. Kuwabara was indigo, his psychic abilities helping and protecting him even when he was unaware of them. And Kurama--orange, always orange, whether he was fighting or not. The color that many interpreted to mean sexuality, but to Hiei it was not so much sexuality as sensuality.

A small difference, again, but an important one. There was so much sensuality in Kurama, for those with eyes to see it. The gentle attention he paid to detail; the richness of the fabric he wore. The elegant curve of the whip just before it snapped; the grace given to a casual twist of the body. The rich amusement that came with it all. Kurama himself meant sensuality to Hiei.

And never was it more pronounced than in battle--Kurama took sheer, immense joy in the fight. He appreciated every gasp of sound, noticed every scent and taste that meant fear or exhilaration, reacted to even the tiniest flickers of movement, thrived on the feel of the whip's weight and energy as it wheeled around him. He was alive and vibrant in battle, enjoying it more thoroughly than anyone Hiei had ever seen--more than Yusuke with his combat-junkie attitude or Kuwabara with his honor and determination, more than Hiei himself with the constant, dark need to strike. It was an aliveness that tantalized Hiei, that made him want to approach.

Kurama would laugh in his face if he did. Not with a mean spirit, but nonetheless with the message that he could not come closer; that was just how it was. Nothing as real as Kurama in his truest form, his truest occupation, could ever be taken hold of and kept, tied down. Kurama was too free, too deeply in his element; almost elemental himself. He belonged to no one but himself, and never in a thousand years could anyone have said differently.

That was alright. Hiei understood about such things, about belonging and not belonging to oneself and others. It was enough for him to be permitted to see, to stray within the field of Kurama's energy. To hold, if not for forever, then for a moment. Because those moments, scattered here and there, would add up. If they could maintain their balance, stay both close enough and far enough away from each other, those moments could mean a lifetime. And even if they didn't, even if those few moments turned out to be all they had, it would be worth it. To have been held within the fox's vibrant, passionate, living energy--to be held within the circle of his arms--just once. It was enough.


	30. Ficlet 29: Rules

_A/N: Wow, the next to last hug! I'm going to go through withdrawal or something! At any rate, I saved a specific prompt for the last one, meaning that this is the very last leftover prompt that I had no ideas for. It took a lot of thought before this idea finally came up. Hope you enjoy._

Ficlet #29: Rules  
Prompt #26: "I never say the truth."

It took Hiei several weeks to realize they were working together.

That first mission, after all, had started with an altercation between the two of them; the rest had been rather improvised, and they'd each clearly been in it for their own reasons. The second time--well, he could only imagine Kurama was bored in this human world, and that was why he consented to help at the merest suggestion that there was a lock somewhere that might benefit from being broken. But after the third time, Hiei found himself waking up in Kurama's bed dizzy from blood loss, neatly bandaged, and forced (as payment for the healing) to listen to Kurama's rendition of how he had single-handedly defeated the demon they'd quarreled with after Hiei had been so unsporting as to pass out. And he realized: you don't bring someone into your den, three times, and heal them, unless you intend to maintain the acquaintance. You don't return to the same window asking for help three times without a connection forming.

Hiei didn't like relationships. So when he realized they were going to have one whether he willed it or not, he set some ground rules. Boundaries had to be established. Truth was not to be demanded, or even expected; neither was affection. Each venture would be dealt with case-by-case, without expectation that they would always choose to work together. Outside of those ventures, they would not be a part of each other's lives.

Kurama accepted all his terms easily. And then, systematically, broke every one.

Truth was pried from an unwilling Hiei by an expert manipulator, and Hiei's best defenses were like cobwebs to be brushed aside to an individual who had spent a thousand years learning how to steal things. And even though Kurama never said that he expected Hiei to help him (or them, when it became a team), even though he always stated clearly that Hiei was free to go, invariably there would be some small sign, some subtle word or look, that let Hiei know he was not. It didn't bother him as much as it should have; for there _was_ always a genuine reason for him to stay. And it made a certain amount of sense, too, when he found himself learning about Kurama's world, understanding it, protecting what he protected. He could never quite say whether he'd been manipulated into that one or not. And affection would be bestowed in the unlikeliest of places or the sneakiest of ways--grabbing him from behind for a one-armed hug before he could evade, relentless teasing, gentle and well-timed looks of understanding or happiness. Hiei forgot that the boundaries were supposed to be there.

And then, the world split in three.

Kurama was far away, gone to the aide of an older friend, and at first Hiei genuinely didn't care. He had more than enough of his own issues to deal with. But after a year or so had gone by, he found that he missed the kitsune. All Mukuro's attention and understanding couldn't make up for the lack of that comradery, that companionship that had started so forced and become so natural.

So Hiei visited him. And found a Kurama who was cold and precise and withdrawn, mistrustful and unwilling to believe that Hiei's presence had no purpose beyond the stated one. Kurama treated him with less warmth than when they had been strangers. Indeed, it was warmth that seemed to have been drained out of him; his skin was paper white, and those once-generous eyes turned icy as they looked at just one more ex-partner amongst dozens.

It was Kurama's turn to declare rules. Things don't stay the same. Do not show affection when there's nothing to gain from it. Do not hold on to anything that becomes counterproductive. Don't assume I have ever once spoken the truth to you. Hiei nodded his acceptance, and left to return to his preparations for the Tournament.

It took him longer to break Kurama's rules than it had taken Kurama to break his. Hiei, after all, had never before had occasion to learn how to tear down the walls between two people--but he managed. Affection was tricked or startled out of the kitsune by the same devious arts Hiei had learned at his side--a look here, an uncontainable laugh there, a not-so-casual touch. It took time, but a year or two passed and Hiei found himself again at ease in Kurama's space, coming and going as he pleased. And truth was won, piece by piece, in bitter exchange for his own truths as they tried to put the puzzle pieces together, tried to figure out why any of this mattered. Gradually it ceased to be important; why it mattered, or what it meant that they were still together. They just were, and that was the only rule.


	31. Ficlet 30: Anywhere

Ficlet #30: Anywhere  
Promt#22: ichi-go ichi-e

A look. A touch. A smile.

A look--any look. _We're here again, aren't we._ It could be anywhere, anyplace, but it would still be _here_--because their eyes turned to each other in exactly the same moment, only half a second, but in that half a second they meet each other's gaze openly. And when it happens, it really doesn't matter when or where they are. It happened years ago; it will happen years from now. Half a second, of concern, understanding, exasperation, the demand for understanding or acceptance. Perfectly shared.

From there--a touch. And it could be any touch. Healing hands or practice blows; back to back in fear; shoulder to shoulder, and the room is not quite that crowded. Palm to palm, a hesitant grazing, knowing that something is being stated. The smaller hand, sword callused and perpetually bandages, reaching for larger but somehow more delicate fingers, both knowing that this bare touch means more than anything else could. The tokens, the physical trinkets that could be passed from hand to hand--a certain gem, perhaps, a certain flower--could never serve to do more than what had always been done, the same business over and over again. Rules, questions, uncertainties. I need you for this, I need you for that, I need you for something and never just _I need you._ They have stopped giving each other tokens; they touch.

From there--a smile. And it can be every smile. Small, or sardonic, or twisted; private or public. At the other's expense, or sharing his amusement, or formed and forced just because of him, just to lift him past the latest impossible challenge. It's moments like these that push them past the boundaries of anything either of them knows, rendering the two skilled warriors nearly helpless with inexperience. This is not a strategic advance; it is a feeling, no more and no less, to be honored for itself and nothing more. It comes in brief but beautiful moments, hovering over them like some winged creature, ready to be pursued if and when; here and there; now and again. They smile when they see it.

From the smile comes a look; brief, but all-encompassing. From the look a touch, accidental but right. From the touch a smile, pained but genuine; the beginning turns into the end, and the end to the beginning. _We're here again, aren't we._

* * *

_A/N: My understanding of this prompt is that it does not translate directly, but is a concept along the lines of 'for this moment only' or 'one chance in a lifetime.' It's my belief that these two are so close, so suited to one another, that any and every moment could be like that--one moment in a lifetime. _

_ This is the last prompt; thank you all for reading! It's been great fun to write.  
_


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